Dear Friends,
As you begin to create new rhythms in the coming weeks, we encourage you to take a moment and consider the priorities that have shaped your schedules this past year. What values have governed your resources, relationships, and time? Do you often find yourself pulled in by the urgent needs of the moment? When presented with a window of free time, do you reach for a device or other distraction?
In today’s fast-paced world, we are constantly bombarded by distractions—whether it’s technology, work demands, or the pressure to be productive. We can become so focused on “doing” that we forget the importance of “being”. Ironically, it’s in these unstructured times, where there is no agenda, that relationships blossom and individual creativity comes to life. Whether it’s a casual conversation, a shared meal, or even sitting in silence, these rhythms foster a deeper bond that cannot be replicated through more transactional or task-oriented exchanges.
We’ve put together a few ways that you might consider building quality time with others into your life this season, beginning with what we feel is the most important step: getting clear about what is most important.
- Prioritize around values. There are many roles and responsibilities that require our attention but consider which activities serve as a “filler” in an already packed schedule. Are there things that can be eliminated in order to create space for what is most important?
- Plan not to plan. Rather than packing your schedule with back-to-back events and activities, consider scheduling blocks of unstructured time for spontaneous moments to occur.
- Forget your phone. Stepping away from devices (and encouraging screen-free time for children) gives your mind a break from incoming information, messages, ideas, visual cues, requests, and advertisements that intrude on time and attention.
- Learn to tolerate awkward silence. It can be incredibly uncomfortable to learn or re-learn the habit of being with someone away from the hum of outside distractions but as we have learned in the counseling room, silence often leads to surprising connections.
- Release expectations. There is often a pressure to make something exciting happen or accomplish a purpose but when we release expectations, we can remember the joy of simply being together.
Sincerely,
The Willow Springs Counseling Team