Mothers quiet time

DALM|Spending Time Alone

Diary Adventures of LagosMums: DALM | Spending Time Alone 

Do you spend time alone? Really alone. I do not mean time alone with your TV on, or checking your twitter or instagram, or while you are reading something. I mean truly alone and quiet.

This was what I had to do a few days ago when I went to eye doctor to get my eyes checked. The nurse came up to me and said they would need to put some drops in my eyes to help it dilate as part of the consultation, she explained that these drops would cause blurry vision for some hours. Lastly she said after she put the drops in i would have to keep my eyes closed!

Relaxation I was like huh? for how long? She said i would have to keep my eyes shut for 30 minutes and if i complied the quicker i could finish my consultation and leave.

In that quick moment I had a little panic attack? I wouldn’t be able to check social media, or email or make any calls? I honestly panicked as I wondered what I supposed to do with 30 minutes of quiet? She looked at me with a look like – abeg! hurry up and let me get this done.

So I asked her to please give me a few minutes to compose myself and inform my social media fam (including DH) that I would be offline for a little bit.

When she returned she put in the eye drops. Then I rested my head back onto the chair and got ready to wait out this 30 minutes.

How did I spend the time without being able to reply to whatsapp or bb, not being able to check who just liked my instagram post or respond to the email that just came in? I was quiet! I didn’t even fall asleep, I was just quiet! I felt like my brain was actually relaxing. I felt like I slowed down the pace of my frantic-busy-constantly-connected to the world life and spent time with myself.

I wish I could say I spent time hearing the birds chirp but really it was more of hearing the din of the generators.

For a few hours after I left the doctor’s office as they had warned I had blurry eyesight – I could not read anything, could not make any calls. When the phone rang I had to ask my daughter to read the callers name to me. It was like being forced to disconnect let me appreciate other things. I also appreciated people who are unable to do the things we take for granted – who cannot see or cannot read. My daughter found it quite funny I needed her to read the callers name on my phone to me.

I never really understood the benefit of meditation and spending time being quiet and still but I felt truly refreshed! I felt quiet, I felt like I was able to think, was able to quieten my mind and relax. I just lay on the chaise and listened to the children talk and to some audio tapes (been meaning to listen to this forever).Mothers quiet time

There are benefits to being quiet. We cannot allow our busy lives to take over, such that we never get the time to be quiet or to hear ourselves think!

I have promised myself to be spending time alone…. It has not happened since the optician induced meditation session but I won’t give up. Do hold me accountable please!

How do you find time for yourselves? With all the many hats you juggle? Please share.

photo source: mothering21
Scroll to Top