“Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.” — Eleanor Brownn
My husband and I just returned from a week’s vacation. Not only was it lovely to go from 40-degree weather in the Seattle area to 80-degree weather in a tropical climate, it was nice to leave behind the worries of work, pet care, and our leaky garage roof. All things I couldn’t manage from hundreds of miles away.
Settling into the new routine, or more appropriately no routine, allowed me some much-needed me time.
I spent my me time focusing on my life balance. Spending time just hangin’ with my husband was magical. We played a couple rounds of golf. We took a walk together. I read two books. I went to the gym. I meditated outside (easier to do in 80 degrees than 40 degrees). And, we spent a lot of time just lounging by the pool, basically doing nothing.
I asked a few of my friends what me time looked like to them and here is what I heard:
- Getting up a few minutes before the rest of the household and just enjoying the quiet.
- Reading.
- Taking a walk by themselves.
- Meditation (this is a big one for me too).
- Exercising
- Trying out a new restaurant with friends.
- Getting a manicure/pedicure.
- Joining a book club.
- Turning off the electronic devices.
- Calling a friend.
Why worry about me time? WebMD has some thoughts on this. Although this article is biased toward women, I think men have the same challenges.
“There’s a tremendous amount of stress and pressure put on women: being parents, being daughters, mothers, wives, professionals. All of these roles combined leave many of us not taking adequate care of ourselves — which is what sustains us and gives us the energy to take care of all these other responsibilities that we have,” says Randy Kamen Gredinger, a Wayland, MA, psychologist and life coach specializing in women’s issues.”
Whatever your thoughts about me time are, experts agree it is important to schedule it. I know with my clients, if it’s not on the schedule, it just doesn’t happen, even with the best of intentions.
So, here’s my challenge to you:
Look at your calendar and set aside at least ten minutes of me time every day.
How will you spend your me time?
Cindy Jobs, COC, ACC
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National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, Seattle Chapter Vice-President
Professional Resource Member
Institute for Challenging Disorganization
Level I Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization; ADD; Client Administration; Time Management; Mental Health; and Hoarding.
Level II Specialist Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization and ADHD.