For as long as I can remember my mom has talked about how my sister and I never have ‘quiet time’ because we are constantly multi tasking – switching between getting work done and checking our phones, all while having the television on in the background. From the moment we wake up in the morning to the second we switch our Netflix off at night to go to bed there is constant noise, and she isn’t wrong.
My mom’s version of quiet time though has always been in my opinion, somewhat unattainable. She’d love for me to sit quietly and do nothing at least once a day, which just isn’t my reality. Her intentions are right though and I realized that I needed to find my own version of quiet time in my life – the millennial kind. And if my mom’s wise words don’t convince you, just check out this article about why we need downtime in our lives!
How I Find Quiet Time
- Listening to white noise before bed – While I can’t say I’ll ever be able to completely cut Netflix before bed out of my life I’ve found that listening to some version of white noise (I like listening to waves or ‘forest sounds’). Having these noises quietly in the background as I start to go to bed lets me zone out and get those real moments calm quiet that are so hard to find in the city
- Getting to work early – Most days I get to work about 20 minutes early and those 20 minutes are some of the most precious of my day. I get to enjoy a quiet office and read through the days updated – everything from The Skimm to my blog roll on Bloglovin. By the time my team gets in I feel recharged and ready to go for the day
- Taking walks without headphones – Most of time in NYC, especially during commuting hours, you’ll look around and everyone will have their headphones in. While blasting music is necessary to stay sane through subway commutes, there’s nothing like a nice walk where you actually enjoy your surroundings. During lunch at work, even if I’ve brought my food, I try to take a walk without headphones to just decompress. It’s amazing the good it can do to hear the birds chirping and kids laughing in the park instead of just putting my headphones in and cutting it all out.
- Stay off social media and be present with your friends – So this last one isn’t exactly ‘quiet time’, but for me (the ever multi tasker) being present isn’t always something I’m great at and I often feel the same release of anxiety and stress by just being present with friends. Great conversations paired with hours of laughing and joking around with friends is my ultimate reset and it’s time to stop phone notifications from ruining that
Do you all have any ways to decompress and find that ‘quiet time’ my mom always talks about?