Lifestyle Corner

Is time your toxic enemy? See if you recognize yourself in any of these statements:

• "I start the day by cramming everything into my "to do" list."
• "I run around in a state of crazed frustration."
• "By day's end, I realize I haven't taken any time for me. Help!"

Sound familiar? Is there any stress in your life that doesn't involve time? Hectic schedules and scheduling are the reality for most women.

Most women today are time-starved. Instead of being a valuable resource, time becomes a toxic enemy. Time is the wall you keep bumping up against. Those well-intentioned self-care "to do" items never get done. You end up feeling hopelessly out of control. Worse, toxic time leads to chronic stress, which harms your health.

Who doesn't want to slow down and prevent stress from ruining their health? Here's how to prepare to change:

• First, don't make the mistake of waiting until you have everything "under control" before facing your toxic time enemy. Instead, commit to taking command of your time today.

• Then, grab your calendar. Make simple changes that will help transform your time-starved anxiety into peaceful enjoyment or, at least, a more peaceful pace.

How to Stop Being a Prisoner of Time

Step 1: Be prepared for Toxic Time withdrawal

Gently apply the brakes to your speedy pace through life and then be patient.

Don't expect overnight changes. You will initially feel uncomfortable adjusting to the unfamiliar slower pace of living. You may actually be addicted to the speed of your current life. You need time to withdraw from the toxic, mindless frenzy.

Try this: Force yourself to do something s-l-o-w-l-y. Any activity you normally do at warp-speed will do. Try sitting down for breakfast and eating slowly or taking a break from work to take a leisurely walk. If you enjoy cooking, make a pot of soup or some other dish that requires detailed preparation. Enjoy every slow minute of preparing the ingredients. Sit down (no standing allowed!) and take the time to enjoy your creation.

Step 2: Make a Time Inventory

Does your calendar look like a sea of overlapping time commitments? Try this:

• Study a weeklong calendar and list everything you do: commuting, errands, working, time with friends, housework, sleeping, etc.

• Calculate how much time you spend in each category. Example: 3 hours commuting to work + 2 hours errands + 1 hour carpooling kids= 6 hours in car per day/24 hours= 25% of day.

Ask yourself, "Is this how I want to spend my time?" If your answer is no, you need to reprioritize the categories.

Make a simple change: Rescue one hour from the errands category by designating another day as the official errand day.

Consider a major change: Get another job closer to home and eliminate the long commute.

Fill some of the rescued time with self-care (exercise, reading, or shopping) activities. Record them in ink on your calendar and don't eliminate them first when there's a time crunch.

Step 3: Treat Time Like Money.

Don't spend time you don't have!

You don't throw money away, yet you give your time away as though it was free. Learn how to prioritize. Make hard decisions about how you want to spend your time. Tell yourself, "I won't add another thing to my schedule. If I want to do this, I'll have to give up something else."

Here's a little time-sparing secret: The next time you're waiting for something (traffic jam, grocery line, on-hold on the telephone), realize it as a golden opportunity to grab some peace. Sit back and let your mind go, and if you can, close your eyes and take several deep breaths. You have now converted a few minutes of frustration into a rejuvenating break from your hectic day.

Step 4: Schedule Time for Joy

List the things that you find joyful.

Getting to the gym or out into the park for a walk, writing in your journal, doing needlepoint, reading a novel, or window shopping all qualify. You can plan these events, or you can make them happen when you have downtime. Carry your journal, or novel, or needlepoint with you, and keep your walking shoes and gym clothes in your car.

Don't cram empty spaces with more work.

If a meeting or a commitment gets rescheduled at the last minute, instead of immediately filling the time with more work, how about a compromise? Spend 30 minutes catching up with work, and the last 30 minutes doing a joyful activity.

Step 5: No time for guilt.

Finally, you may feel guilt as you fill some of your time with activities not directly related to work. That's normal. Just remind yourself that filling time with mental rest periods is not an occasional luxury. It is a life-sustaining practice that needs to become a regular piece of your daily life.

Pamela M. Peeke MD, MPH, Pew Foundation Scholar in Nutrition and Metabolism, is Medical Advisor to the NWHRC; she also is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and author of the best selling book Fight Fat After Forty (Viking Press, 2000).

Click www.drpeeke.com, Dr. Peeke's Web site featuring health and wellness issues for women.