The Daily Quiet Time By Dr. William Haynes Author, "A physician's Witness to the Power of Shared Prayer" and "Minding the Whole Person. Cultivating a Healthy Lifestyle from Youth through the Senior Years"

Dr. William F. Haynes, Jr.

Now that the Holidays have ended, and we are embarking on a new year, this is a good time to stop a moment and take stock of our current health habits. What additional things should be considered for our health maintenance? In two previous columns, the importance of daily exercise was outlined and some of the many benefits were listed. I trust everyone by now is well into some form of aerobic type of wind-building exercise program, having received the doctor's green light.

Another important and often ignored health item is observing a "daily quiet time". How many of us rush off to do errands or catch the train every work day, perhaps spilling coffee over our coat in a frenzy to be on time or beat the traffic? We all have experienced this hurry-up lifestyle either on a daily basis or more frequently than we like. This frenetic state of affairs may very well cause us to be unraveled a good part of the day. This is a most unhappy situation when one's vocation is involved with unexpected upsets and apparently unreasonable demands. In order to survive and avoid a subsequent "burn-out", develop a daily habit of minding the "whole person"-this means attending to the needs of the mind, body, and spirit. The daily exercise routine addresses the emotional (mind) and the physical (body) aspects of the "whole person". But this is not good enough! The third part of the whole person , the spiritual side, must also be brought in to be complete. A metaphor I frequently use is that of a three-legged stool; if one of the three legs is missing the stool will not function. So it is with us; we have a mind, a body and a spirit.

It is part of the nature of mankind to seek an inner spiritual peace. This could well be the greatest gift of life in my view. Despite materialistic wealth, there is often something missing. Songs have been written and stories told lamenting this lack of meaning in our lives, e.g., ("Is this all there is?")

The spirit benefits from a daily quiet time, a time before the active day's chores begin. It is a time to reflect and to gather oneself, to listen to that "still inner voice" who has been trying to guide and help but who has so often been neglected. This early morning time of quiet meditation sets the stage for a more peaceful and orderly day. After not too many weeks, one may notice that this inner calmness extends into longer periods of the day. The quiet time recharges the batteries that have run down by the end of each day. Thoughts, solutions, and guidance have a chance to come up at this time. Consider using a daily journal to write in, read some scripture or poetry, or just "be". By incorporating the quiet time with your daily aerobic program you are now launched on the road to "wholeness"-in mind, body and spirit.

Congratulations! We are all struggling together.

Dr. Haynes is a Senior Attending in cardiology and internal medicine at the Medical Center at Princeton and Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He has been practicing medicine since 1960 and recently retired from office practice. He is a lecturer and the author of two books: