It's easy to get lost in living for other people. When you have family, friends and work obligations, your time may be stretched thin, leaving you little or no time for you.
This is awful, for a variety of reasons, the most important being your happiness.
You absolutely need time to unwind and be on your own in order to recharge your energy and increase your overall well-being.
Here are some tips on how to better enjoy and create some "me time."
1. Schedule It Out
The first step to creating "me time" is looking at your schedule and what takes up most of your time and energy each day.
You need to really think and reflect on your daily routine and what may be draining you.Try to work on minimising those activities or scheduling in some time for yourself instead. You may need a calendar or planner to help you with this.
Remember that your health is #1 priority.
If you need to cancel some activities or spend less time doing particular things, like with your friends or family, you need to be conscious and aware of that and change your habits. Your mental well-being depends on it!
Recharging and taking a break is extremely crucial to function at your best and scheduling time for yourself in the week is a great way to keep track of your time so you can actually accomplish your goal in the most efficient and time-effective way. It is always better to note things down rather than carrying them all in your head.
2. Reflect in Peace with No Distractions
Once you've scheduled "me time" for yourself, you may want to spend some of that time sitting quietly somewhere where you will not be disrupted or interrupted and where you feel at peace. This may be outside your house or in a private room. Make sure to keep distractions away, as even 15 minutes is all you need. Your surroundings will help you to relax so be sure to pick somewhere that feels positive or at least neutral for you. Address what’s on your mind and how you are feeling. Go through the thoughts running through your head carefully and think about you are having these thoughts and if they are rational or not. Some of them may be urgent matters while others may be unnecessary and counter-productive. Doing this will help you to acknowledge and organise your thinking and even plan and execute better when you get back to work or your routine. Sitting in quiet, meditative reflection helps you to re-center your focus in your day to day life to make sure you are actually being productive to make progress in what you are aiming to achieve for yourself.
Even 10-15 minutes a day of doing this will helps immensely. A journal is also a great asset to support this reflection time.
Along with reflection, I sometimes like to write to myself or God in my journal to get answers and guidance on what I'm thinking or feeling. When you look deeply inward for answers, oftentimes they come to you clearly. Try it out!
3. Read and Watch TV
That's right, you need permission to relax and have fun, whether that means cuddling with a book you have been dying to read, or finally getting some tv time in!
Now, in all seriousness, for the long-run, reading will be better than television, which can be addictive and take up more of your time, but there is nothing wrong with indulging sometimes to relax and forget about your current problems or responsibilities. In fact, doing something you enjoy is healthy for you in so many ways!
Although we live in a pragmatic society, art exists for a reason. Everyone needs a little escape here and there, and reading and watching TV can help to provide that escape from daily routine and stress.
4. Focus on who you really want to be or what you really want to accomplish
Sometimes we busy ourselves with things that are actually not going to help us out in the long-run. We may have habits or tasks that eat up our time everyday but are actually not productive or beneficial to us at all!
I’m looking at you social media!
But in all seriousness, we really need to step back sometimes and seriously think - is this the best use of my time? What is doing this going to bring for me that I am replacing valuable me-time for? You want to grow and improve yourself to be the best you can be and there are certainly distractions or daily happenings that are not going to bring you closer to your goals.
So re-evaluate and step back from what you are doing and try to focus on the 20% of activities that will bring you 80% of your satisfaction in life.These can be self-care activities, fitness or health related routines, study or income related tasks, anything that will actually help you in your life.
Remember, time is a valuable asset, as well as your health. If you don't have time for your health, what is really the point of what you are doing?
I hope this mini article was helpful to get some ideas for “me-time” that you so desperately need! Remember, your health is invaluable and everything you can do to reduce your stress and add a little more priority to yourself is well-worth it for the long run.
Related:
https://crescentt.com/blogs/new/how-stress-negatively-affects-your-heart-and-ways-you-can-reduce-it