I just read this excellent article about the importance of Daydreaming by Mark Sissan who I recently interviewed for my upcoming Stress Buster course. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-power-of-daydreaming/ Mark’s got a HUGE website focussed on helping people improve their lives through diet and exercise. Take a look, there’s a lot to see.
His article was on the benefits of taking time out to Daydream. Here are his main points that I’ve built upon.
Rest: Giving your brain and body time to rest outside regular sleeping hours is immensely useful. Power naps or siestas have been the trend for centuries but you don’t need to go to sleep to rest your brain and body. Even 15-20 minutes rest will vastly improve focus and productivity for the remainder of the day. Give yourself permission to try it out.
Wellness: Allowing your mind a break from constant work can raise your immunity and make it easier for you to cope with stress or high pressure situations. Improving your wellness makes you happier and healthier in both long and short terms.
Reflection: Having un-interrupted time to reflect on issues that are incomplete in your mind or to reflect on what has happened gives you time to connect with how you feel about it which is great for your emotional intelligence. It also gives you the opportunity to look for an alternative perspective. This can improve your understanding and gives you a choice in how to approach the subject from here on. I often work on this skill with my coaching clients because having options on how to relate to an event, a person or situation empowers you to find what will work for you best.
Creativity: Very rarely is anything wonderful created or invented without being in a relaxed state. Stop and think about the best ideas you’ve ever come up with in your life or the greatest revelations. Then remember where you were and what you were doing at the time. Chances are you were on the toilet, in the shower/bath, doing exercise, lying down, listening to a speaker/music or enjoying yourself in a fun and recreational way. Always make time daily to rest and relax when you need to find your next big idea. (Hey, check out that word ‘recreational’. It makes sense now, doesn’t it?)
Visualisation: If you’re the kind of person that believes hard work is the only way you’ll get what you want, then that’s likely the path you’re on right now. Lots of hard work! There’s a great speech by Abraham Hicks about the power of pure visualisation being worth thousands of labour hours which is worth considering. Even 17-20 seconds on unhindered thought or fantasy (i.e. without telling yourself it’s not possible) is worth the equivalent of 2000 action hours. To hear this part of the speech take a look here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBmuc8_GySQ
So check out all those great benefits of Daydreaming!
Now the challenge is to give yourself permission to take that rest. Not just on your day off, or after work, but daily, somewhere in the middle of your working hours. When you understand how valuable you are to the world when you are in an alert, creative and productive state of mind (yes, you ARE worth it) you’ll be able to incorporate this seamlessly into your daily life and reap the benefits.
Ready to start today? Give it a shot and tell me what was different after daydreaming for a few days in a row.
- The Power of Daydreaming: Why You Should Let Your Mind Wander (marksdailyapple.com)
- Daydreaming…mindfulness or just plain lazy??? (terebowenirish.wordpress.com)
- It pays to be a daydream believer in a fast-moving age (express.co.uk)
- Wakeful Rest May Boost Memory (livescience.com)
- Lessons Life Has Taught Me: Obey the Law of the Sabbath – Rest! (yomiolufiade.wordpress.com)