Living a Lifetime in a Day

It’s been a long day and you just rolled in from work. You open the door to your home and more work awaits you. Laundry, dishes, cooking, etc. You are overwhelmed, you are tired, and life feels like nothing but work. Perhaps it’s not all work but you get home, and nothing feels meaningful. I know what it is to be in this position at times or a long time. Sometimes there are seasons in life when this is our experience. Perhaps you are caregiving for an elderly parent, have a child or partner who is critically ill at home, you are fixing a broken-down home and have a surmountable list of projects. Maybe you are a mom or dad who is exhausted with a newborn or you are working and doing school full time. Perhaps your experiencing chronic pain that is debilitating and makes it difficult for you to go out and try new things and are having difficulty finding joy in the pain. Or possibly you are struggling with battling depression or anxiety. Whichever it may be, these are some of the seasons we might find ourselves in that can make life feel difficult, meaningless, or exhausting.

When I found myself in a season that felt like but work and I was experiencing a lot of stress and anxiety, I came across from a video from Dr. Aditi Nerurkar. In the video she discussed a concept from her book, “The 5 Resets: Rewire Your Brain and Body for Less Stress and More Resilience” where she teaches how to increase resilience in the face of stress and burnout. In the video she discusses the concept of living a lifetime in a day which delineates the 6 areas that make a life meaningful. In her discussion about this she noted that you only need to incorporate each one of these for at least 2 minutes a day, if that is all the time you have at this time, in order for our mind and body to feel the positive effects of practicing this. I found this to be incredibly helpful because it is doable. It is relieving to know that sometimes all our mind and body need to experience a sense of rest and meaning is spending a few minutes a day in something that brings us a sense of fulfillment and joy.

The 6 areas that make a life meaningful are:

1. Work: Do something whether paid or unpaid that gives you a sense of meaning and accomplishment.

2. Solitude: Spend some time alone to reflect or simply allow yourself to be, whether sitting at home with no distractions or sitting on a bench enjoying the sights and sounds of nature, it can be a time that boosts creativity

3. Vacation: Spend even a few minutes a day doing something you love; something that brings you joy a.  Playing a music instrument b.  Reading a book c.  Eating something new d.  Transporting yourself to a new place in your mind

4. Family: Spend time in community with loved ones; friends, family members, groups etc. This can be even a short phone call.

5. Childhood: Spend a few minutes a day in a sense of wonder and play, however this means to you. a. Coloring a book b. Playing a boardgame c.  Letting your imagination flow

6. Retirement: Spend some time a day reflecting on or writing down what worked and didn’t work in the day for you.

By engaging in each one of the 6 areas on daily basis, even if it meant I could only allot a short amount of time for each, I noticed a big difference in my mood. I noticed that a little sparkle of wonder, a brief mental vacation, a small moment of silence, a quick inventory of my day, a short phone call with a friend or family member and a few minutes of work that feel purposeful can be incredibly valuable.

Here at Scented Whisper, we hope to inspire you to live a lifetime in day. Many of our candles and meditations are crafted to help facilitate this experience by listening to meditations that help you be transported somewhere new for a short while and/or be reflective or by finding a candle that inspires you to be in silence or to try something new. Whether you purchase one of our candles, one of our meditations or simply come across our blog for inspiration, we hope you walk away with a new way to enjoy a meaningful life.