Creating “Oasis Time” with Dr. Marilyn Paul
In this episode of the Parent Footprint Podcast, Dr. Dan welcomes Dr. Marilyn Paul, author, parent, and well-being expert. Marilyn‘s passion is the basis of her new book for parents and families An Oasis in Time: How a Day of Rest Can Save Your Life (Rodale, August 2017) – in which she shows us all how a day of rest can transform and save lives.
We live in hurried times. We value busy-ness, juggling too much, and trying to reach daily pie-in-the-sky goals. We are connected 24/7 and we are passing these habits on to our children. Dr. Paul encourages us to make small changes to make big life changes – spending meaningful time in nature or attending a family dinner and taking a day of rest is a gift we can give ourselves and our children. Listeners today will learn that there are practical strategies for creating their own modern-day Sabbath or day of rest, whatever their religious beliefs. Scheduled rest time is life-affirming and creates an oasis.
Parents can integrate “oasis time” into their lives by examining their habits and finding and scheduling “pause time” – purposefully. There is power in STOPPING and making it sacred. And you can do this with your family – stretching, deep breathing, looking at a tree, turning off all screens, playing a board game, going on a family walk. By seeking a way to pause and refresh ourselves we will recover from exhaustion and at the same time teach our children this crucial life lesson that should be a priority.
Dr. Dan and Dr. Paul talk about “giving up achievement” on your day of rest. Dr. Dan goes on to explain how being present with yourself and your loved ones (and avoid the need To Do) is a paradigm shifting way of thinking and living.
The Parent Footprint moment Marilyn describes is eye-opening: Marilyn considered herself a parent who limited her own cell phone usage. But when Marilyn’s son called her a phone addict, Marilyn learned she was wrong and started to simply STOP using her device when she is with her son. Nothing is more important than being with her child and so she puts the phone away now.
With a Ph.D. from the Yale School of Management and an M.B.A. from Cornell, Dr. Marilyn Paul takes a creative, integrative approach that blends practical skills training with inner work. As a senior consultant with Bridgeway Partners, an organizational consulting group based in the San Francisco Bay Area, she has worked with a wide range of companies, non-profits, religious organizations and educational institutions. In addition to her consulting work, she has taught on the faculties of Yale University School of Medicine, the Hebrew University School of Public Health and Colby College in Waterville Maine.
In her new book, An Oasis in Time: How a Day of Rest Can Save Your Life, Dr. Paul shows that a solution for the modern sense of relentless pressure can be found in the ancient tradition of the Sabbath. Among the many profound benefits of taking a day off each week are renewed perspective, enhanced creativity and a refreshed outlook on life. Drawing on Sabbath history, contemporary research and her own personal experience, Dr. Paul shows readers how to design a weekly time off, carve out the time from busy schedule and most importantly, change their mindset to have the pleasure of regularly slowing down every week.