I wasn't quite ready to leap out of bed when my alarm went off this morning. So I hit the snooze button. Ten more minutes ...??I hit it a few more times, each time relishing every moment of those 10 minutes. I enjoyed the gift of those extra minutes. Three times.??
I became more coherent as I continued to snooze and I began to think of life in 10-minute increments.??
When life has literally brought me to my knees and I've bowed to the pressures around me, I have let myself feel every ounce of whatever is hitting me and cry. ??
As I recollectedthose moments, it would be pretty safe to say that I let myself go for no more than 10 minutes at a time. For no more than 10 minutes, I let myself become a vulnerable puddle on the floor. The residue remained much longer, but the extreme reaction? It hit a crescendo and subsided.??
I recently read one cancer survivor's suggestion as to how to live day-to-day with a devastating diagnosis. They said to allow yourself one hour of the day to give in to all ofthe emotions you were feeling. One hour. A beginning and an end. Then carry on.??
I thought of the many ways that life can become "too much"- overwhelmed with housework, homework, kids, work,overeating? Fill in the blank with whatever it is that is that is consuming you. Just think in 10-minute increments. ??
Ten minutes of housework or homework. You will get something accomplished. Just take it 10 minutes at a time. ??
A bad moment with the kids? Remember it doesn't last forever. Look at the clock. In 10 minutes it will be different. ??
A bad day at the office? Just get through the next 10 minutes. Just 10 minutes. Do what you can. Or take a break. Breathe in. Breathe out. Yes, it will still be there in 10 minutes. But maybe if you walk away from the stressor for 10 minutes, you will come back with a renewed perspective.??
Overeating? Putoff grabbing that snackfor 10 minutes. Then 10 minutes more. And on so on and so forth. If you are like me, you will fall asleep after a few rounds with the Ten Minutes at a Time rule.??
Ten Minutes at a Time isn't the end all answer. But a person just has to do what it takes to get through a moment now and again. Most of all, it is a simple reminder that "this too shall pass away ..."
