In our Five Minute Warning letter, we discussed the idea of creating an environment that helps one successfully submit to parental instructions through offering a window of compliance. There is a mental and emotional shift that occurs during that five minutes. Similar to that idea, a dear friend of ours from Trevor’s baseball team shared with us a pearl of wisdom she had heard in a sermon at her church and how she creatively applied it in her family – Take Five.
Take Five is the idea that whenever you are stressed, worried, overwhelmed or at your wits end, take five minutes to pray. Even if you don’t pray regularly or even at all, the benefits of Take Five are the same. It serves as a reflective timeout to gain perspective and a measure of peace!
When you Take Five, you create space to remove yourself from whatever anxiety you are facing. It allows you to reflect/pray about the situation or circumstance. In a sense, you are creating a time of non-conflict for yourself to gain perspective, think rationally about your situation or just take a rest from worry and find some peace.
As our friend Jean pointed out, sometimes the Take Five becomes a Take 10,15,20… depending upon the situation. And that’s ok. There is a great benefit with closing your eyes in contemplation and prayer. Whether it’s 5 minutes or 20, the outcome of that time will not only make you feel better, but you may feel more motivated to accomplish more without the yoke of overwhelming anxiety.
For those of you who pray regularly, you may have already experienced and know the benefits that prayer, and having a conversation with God, can mean in your life. And why not share that with your spouse and children as well? Jean shared that, as her children face challenges, she quite often encourages them to Take Five and she has seen it make changes in their countenance and attitude – even when speaking with her children in college by phone or Facetime.
We have also incorporated Take Five in our family and have added a little twist. We’ve discussed taking five when things are going great or even when experiencing an accomplishment. Taking the time to be grateful and appreciative, of those moments, allows you the space to truly experience the fullness of your accomplishments, blessings and God’s hand in them.
It’s funny, having taught parenting classes for over 14 years, that this wonderful idea never occurred to us. Especially in light of one of the parenting tools we talk about in class called the “reflective timeout.” The reflective timeout removes your child from a situation and gives them time, free from distractions and stress (usually in their bedroom), to reflect on the behaviors and attitudes that need correction. It’s really the same thing with Take Five, but for adults!
Since this has been so impactful in our family, we want to challenge you to try the Take Five idea and incorporate it with your family. Be sure to discuss what it might look like to you and your family:
- Explain How to do it – Maybe find a quiet place or just sit and close your eyes while folding your hands to gain focus…
- Explain the When to do it – When we are stressed, overwhelmed, or grateful and blessed…
- Explain the Why we do it – Perhaps to find perspective, a moment of peace, or to be fully appreciative of someone or some thing…
Then, after 2 to 3 weeks of Taking Five, let us know if this has made a difference in your life and the health of your family!
Blessings to your Family and a Blessed Easter!
Shelly & Rich