Save Time for Your Mental Health

Do time saving-devices rob us of our memory? In this day of automatic washers, self-defrosting refrigerators, dishwashers, and pre-packaged meals, why do women feel more exhausted and forgetful than ever?

As expert multi-taskers we simultaneously wash dishes, dry clothes, make dinner and talk on the phone after working all day. Multi-tasking carries over to life on the run, too. Whether out for a jog or in our car, we listen to instructional CD’s, music, and even entertain children with a movie. It keeps them quiet.

Ahhh, quiet. Herein lies the problem. Today’s women tend to fill every moment. The next thing on our “to do list” gobbles up time saved by letting the dishwasher take care of the dishes. What happened to quiet thinking time? And why does housework fall behind, if we’ve saved all this time? We wonder why we feel frazzled, overwhelmed and become forgetful.

As much as we didn’t like washing dishes at the sink, it afforded time for our minds to ponder the day’s activities, problems and even dare to dream. Before automatic washers, washing, rinsing and hanging laundry provided time to think. Those quiet times refreshed the mind. Now, without time to slow down and think, we attempt to absorb a bombardment of information, keep lists, and never give our brains downtime. Do, do, do, busyness equals success. Right? Depends on your definition of success.

When we fall into bed dog-tired at the end of the day, we get a few hours sleep and then the brain kicks in. Why do we have so much on our mind? It’s robbing us of our sleep! Like powerful computers, our brains assimilate information. The continuous flow of input fills our heads, but what about mental maintenance? When do we make time to defrag all those bits and pieces of information? You know, time to sort things out.

With no downtime, our musings skip from subject to subject like stepping stones to confusion. It’s exhausting! Instead of exercising our minds, we’ve scattered them. Scatterbrained! No wonder forgetfulness lurks at the threshold of our cogitation. We’ve broken our thoughts into little disjointed pieces and are bound to lose a few.

What's the answer?

Stave off memory-clogging effects with meditation. Reflective time relaxes the mind and body. Devoting time for contemplation works as an antidote to time-induced stress. Turn off the television and read a book. Learn to play the musical instrument you wanted to play as a child, or just take 15 minutes to sit on the porch and do nothing except listen to the birds.