Just 20 minutes
As we get older, our lives become more complex, complicated and sometimes downright difficult. As we strive to meet the needs of our families, our jobs and ultimately ourselves, squeezing in time to just take a break from it all becomes more and more difficult. When we fail to find that release, the stress within us continues to build over time like a pressure cooker. When it has no outlet, it tends to break free when we least expect it and sometimes in the most unpleasant of ways.
Being one of those people that was always a worrier and who worked in stressful jobs that required me to be on the road all the time, finding that outlet was very difficult. It seemed that I carried around the worries of the world, in addition to my own, and they just compounded upon each other, which often made life somewhat unpleasant. Recently, I decided that needed to change.
The mere thought of sitting down and doing nothing for twenty minutes wasn’t even something that was in the realm of possibility for me. I needed to be doing something every minute of every day or felt like my day was wasted. What I failed to realize was that taking those twenty minutes for just myself was something that was going to change my life for the better.
When a colleague at work introduced me to the Headspace app I loaded it on my phone with no intentions of ever putting it to use. Then one day I picked it up and decided I was going to give it a go. Initially, it was tough, mundane and honestly treacherous. My mind simply wanted to go to all the things that I should be doing rather than shutting down and taking a break. However, as I stuck with it something miraculous happened. My mind started accepting the fact that it needed a break and eventually started looking forward to the 20 minute gift that I was I was trying to give it.
Now, daily meditation has become routine for me and the stretch of time that I have consistently been doing it is extending further than I ever thought it would go. I find myself calmer, less stressed, enjoying life more and thankful for the gift that that 20 minutes has been giving me. There are many apps out there that help guide you on this journey. I hope that you find that one that allows you to give that gift of just 20 minutes to yourself as well.
Mornings with Ron is available as a podcast at anchor.fm/morningswithron or on iHeartRadio, Apple or Google Podcast, Spotify or most podcast sites.
morningswithron.com 
Completely agree! My app of choice is Calm, but I’ve been hearing a lot about Headspace. Sometimes, I just meditate on my own, with a soundtrack of soothing music in the background. I find, more and more, when I’m in the throes of a busy day, I crave the opportunity to get away and re-center myself. Great blog post!
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