A well-known quote from the theologian and philosopher Reinhold Niebuhr reads: " God, grant me the serenity to accept what I cannot influence, the courage to change the things that I can change - and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other." Why are we so moved by these words? Because serenity, peace and leisure are things that many of us long for: for a fulfilled, happy life.
Why we find it difficult to switch off
Overstimulation has long been part of our everyday lives. We are constantly bombarded with new information, we rush from one appointment to the next, tick things off our to-do list and often even feel under pressure in our free time. "I don't have time for a break", we think. In doing so, we forget that we have lost sight of the essentials: ourselves and our needs.
How speed determines our lives
In ancient times, leisure was considered the highest good. In the Middle Ages, hard work was declared a virtue, which became even more so over time. Today, we are usually already looking forward to the next task while we are still working on the first. Our minds run ahead of our actions: when we sit down, we are already standing up in our minds. When we stand up, we are already walking in our thoughts. And when we have reached one goal, we can already see the next one waiting for us. Unfortunately, our well-being often falls by the wayside.
How breaks enrich our lives
We can only let ourselves drift, enjoy silence and recharge our batteries if we consciously take regular breaks. We achieve the inner balance that our mind needs to clear up, free itself from negative thoughts and be creative and balanced. We also have the opportunity to calmly question our own desires and habits and possibly replace them with new ones.
How diverse relaxation can be
Switching off doesn't necessarily mean sitting in a corner and doing nothing at all. Relaxation can mean something different for each of us. For example, retreating to the forest, the sea or the mountains to feel connected to nature, to become one with everything. Or to immerse ourselves completely in an activity, one in which we are truly absorbed and where we feel no time pressure. Let's simply try out in which environment and by which means we are most likely to find relaxation - and then incorporate this firmly into our everyday lives.
Why serenity begins in our heads
As a rule, we do not experience stress as a result of a specific event, but rather in advance because we think about how the situation could affect us. Studies show that 90 percent (!) of our stress experience is due to these "thinking traps". If we are aware of this, we can take countermeasures and stop the carousel of thoughts - but this only works if we don't rush from A to B, but take time for ourselves. And not just at some point, but now. If we rush around during the day, we won't be able to relax in the evening either. We feel restless and our mind keeps rattling.
Which exercises help in between
The queue at the supermarket, waiting at red lights: good opportunities for a little mindfulness triad called "ALI": The abbreviation stands for breathe, smile, pause. Breathing deeply three times helps us to feel our body again. When we smile, we caress our soul, and when we pause, we focus our mind on the here and now. We no longer brood about yesterday, we don't look anxiously to tomorrow. Instead, we enjoy life. In this moment. Try to consciously relax every day. Constant stress puts a strain on the metabolism and promotes excess acidity. Breathing exercises, yoga or a relaxing bath help to reduce daily stress.