The 3 R's: Relax, Reassess, Realign

In today's busy world, life seems to move at a breakneck speed. Sometimes it seems nearly impossible to carve out some time for ourselves. If you find yourself in a constant state of frenzied motion and your mind is forever racing 10 steps ahead of you to the next item on your To Do list, these few simple tips might be just what you need to bring some much needed balance to your life.

Relax

While we all have responsibilites and things that we need to do to keep our lives moving on an even keel, it's also important to remember that we need to schedule some downtime for our own mental health if we're going to be any good to ourselves, or anyone else. Make a date with a good book and a great cup of coffee. Treat yourself to a big bowl of popcorn and watch one of your favorite old movies. Listen to some uplifting music that sends your spirits soaring. Truth is sometimes we can be our own worst enemies. How many times have you felt that you're wasting time if you're not 'accomplishing' things and being 'productive'? But allowing ourselves some personal time to recharge our batteries is actually one of the most productive things we can do, because only then are we better able to refocus our energy on the tasks at hand, feeling refreshed and ready to go.

Reassess

Nobody likes to hear the word 'No', and some of us find saying it even harder. Yet sometimes that's exactly what the doctor ordered. Whether you're the stay-at-home mom who's constantly being asked to bake room treats for your third-graders class, or the dedicated professional whom everyone knows will pick up the office slack at a moments notice, maybe it's time to try the word 'No' on for size. Take an honest look at your life and examine all of your personal commitments. Decide for yourself what's really important to the quality of your life. Once you've determined for yourself which commitments are 'keepers' for you, you can weed out the rest and feel good about your choices. My guess? You'll feel your stress level decline dramatically.

Realign

Now that you've found a few ways to free up more of your time, be sure to keep some of it for yourself. By indulging in things that nourish your spirit on a regular basis, you'll be better equiped to deal with the daily demands of life. Reprioritizing our lives can be hard but the benefits are great and pay off many times over in terms of peace of mind and the ability to better enjoy our lives, our friends and our families. And isn't that really what it's all about?

Cheers to a more rewarding life!.