Tag Archives: self care

Me Time

“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:

  1. Getting up a few minutes before the rest of the household and just enjoying the quiet.
  2. Reading.
  3. Taking a walk by themselves.
  4. Meditation (this is a big one for me too).
  5. Exercising
  6. Trying out a new restaurant with friends.
  7. Getting a manicure/pedicure.
  8. Joining a book club.
  9. Turning off the electronic devices.
  10. 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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Taxes are Taxing: Take Care Of Yourself!

taxes-646511_960_720It’s hard for me to believe, but the the first quarter of the year is already in the books and taxes are due next week.  Hopefully you are one of the lucky, non-procrastinators that filed their taxes long ago and have done something fun with the huge refund the I.R.S. sent you.

Then there’s the rest of us for whom I offer the following.

You are not alone.

According to TheConversation.com approximately 30% of the 2014 taxes were anticipated to be filed in the final two weeks before the deadline.  Why do we procrastinate?

  • Laziness:  We just don’t want to do it.  Who can’t see themselves in this one?
  • Thrill-Seeking:  We think we work better under pressure.  Generally we don’t.
  • Lack of Urgency:  There’s no penalty for dropping them off at the post office at 11:59 PM on April 18th.  Why hurry?
  • Availability of Extensions:  Extensions don’t mean you have more time to PAY, just more time to file.  If you are expecting money back, why extend?
  • We Don’t Expect a Refund: If you aren’t getting money back, why give Uncle Sam our money a minute earlier than we have to?

Well, whether we expect a refund or not, there is still stress and anxiety involved in filing our taxes at the last minute.  Knowing that, some additional self-care may be in order.

silhouette-1082172_960_720What the heck am I talking about?  Well, when I work with clients and they’ve completed a task that is hard, stressful, anxiety-ridden, emotionally taxing, or one they’ve procrastinated on, I suggest they spend some additional time focusing on their personal self care.

Self-care takes many forms and what works for one doesn’t always work for another, but here are some of my favorites:

  • Sleep:  Treat yourself to an extra few minutes of sleep, or even better, indulge in a nap.   According to the Mayo Clinic napping reduces fatigue, increases alertness, and improves our mood.
  • Exercise: Take a nice, long walk with a friend, join in on a fun exercise class at the gym, or even just dance around the house to your favorite song.  According to the CDC (cdc.gov) “People who are physically active for about 7 hours a week have a 40 percent lower risk of dying early than those who are active for less than 30 minutes a week.”
  • Eat something that makes you feel good:  There are physical and mental benefits of sitting down to a healthy fruit and cheese plate, a nutritional smoothie, or a nice bar of dark chocolate (it’s good for us, right?).  Indulge!
  • Meditate:   Sometimes we just need to block out our crazy world!  According to  Charles L. Raison, MD, clinical director of the Mind-Body Program at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, meditation improves both physical and emotional responses to stress.

So, whatever your tax filing situation is, know that once it’s behind you, the stress may not be.  Relax, rejuvinate, have some fun . . .  you deserve it!

Cindy Jobs

cindy@organizetosimplify.com

Organize to Simplify RGBwww.organizetosimplify.com

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