This month, we’re talking about slivers of recovery, and how to get more of them into your day. So far, we’ve talked about napping and meditative activity. Week three in the slivers of recovery series is about reading – or listening to audiobooks!
Just A Few Pages
I’ve seen a few people recently, when visiting client sites, with their heads in books for 10 minutes or so. It’s something I also used to do when I worked in the city, and can be a really good distraction. Reading has the amazing ability to take you away from whatever you’re looking at, thinking about or focusing on. I’m only talking about a few pages. Perhaps you just put some earphones in and listen to five minutes of an audiobook. But the point of these slivers of recovery is that you just drop out. Ideally, you move your gaze away from the screen and give your nervous system a break.
A Single Task
Reading is scientifically proven to lower stress levels and increase relaxation. It also counts as a meditative activity, due to the fact that it encourages the mind to focus on a single task. A study by the University of Sussex found that just six minutes of reading reduced heart rate, muscle tension, and stress levels among test subjects. In addition, countless research has identified links between reading and increased mental capacity – particularly as we get older.
Starting Points
Of course, slivers of recovery will vary for everyone. The purpose of this series is to provide you with a few ideas or starting points. So, if you are a reader, or you listen to audiobooks, try to get in five minutes every couple of hours. And you’ll soon realise the difference it will make to you at the end of the day or week in terms of perceived stress.
Wellbeing Resources
In one of our webinars, we spoke with Nutritional Therapist Alexandra Rock to discuss “Managing Menopause Through Lifestyle and Nutrition”. If you want to understand more about menopause, watch the recording here.
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