Make Time For Yourself
I know, it’s so much easier said than done to make time for yourself, get into a zone that is all about you, but it’s worth it when you make the effort and find the time. Here are some simple strategies for taking back your time and making more of it for yourself.
Allow yourself a break - once you decide that you aren’t in fact too busy to have some free time, you can begin to allot a period of time for yourself each day. Shift the focus off everyone around you and put it right onto yourself, even if for a few minutes each day.
Set it in stone - put it on your calendar, schedule it into your life like any other meeting or necessary event and you’re more likely to stick to doing it.
Make a haven for yourself - set up a retreat for yourself. Be it the bathtub, backyard, office, kitchen, wherever you are cozy and can get comfortable, have your place to retreat to so you can plug in to yourself and your needs.
Make a list - fill a piece of paper with all sorts of things you would do if you had free time, including things that you already do that bring you great pleasure and release energy for you. Also list things you’ve never done but would like to try. Make the list full of little and big things and hang it somewhere you can see it each day. Seeing it will help you do those things and the more little things you do for yourself, the easier it will seem to do the bigger ones too.
Concentrate on quality over quantity - since time is limited, make sure when you do get that precious time just for you that you are focused on the quality of what you are doing versus how long you have to do it. Even if it’s just a 10 minute session of meditation or a 25 minute walk through your neighborhood or 15 minutes reading a magazine after a long day, making the time yours and full of quality and pleasure just for you will help you make the most of it.
What are some things you do when you get time to yourself and what do you do to fit that time into your schedule?
Hmm…I read or sit outside or garden on my deck. During the week I have to schedule it into my MS Outlook calendar so I remember that that time is there for ME. I get busy doing work, volunteering, socializing, and then realize that these activities that are supposed to be energizing and enjoyable are actually tiring me out because there isn’t a balance.
Exercise is my “Me” time. I need my Me time. That, and singing in my car as I drive home from work is quite fun too.
I read. Usually I do that just before bed so I give up computer time to do it.
Having some kind of ritual associated with your “me” time can also help. It’s like conditioning, so that when you do that thing, you know you can relax and let go. For me, if I’ve got iced tea in a wine glass, I know it’s time to unwind.
[...] with a lot of where I’m coming from. This week, she put together a great list of ways to Make Time For Yourself. I enjoyed her suggestion of creating a haven, because what’s time to yourself if [...]
[...] Make time for yourself – Emily @ Remodel This Life [...]