You Time

Elements for Taking Care of Yourself

You Time

 

“You” time, does anyone even know what that is these days? Our lives have become so busy and chaotic that it seems few people have the luxury to know what that is anymore. But, it doesn’t have to be that way.

So what is this foreign concept? It’s time dedicated to you, for you. It’s time when everything else in life takes the backseat, even just for a little while. Work can wait. Errands and chores can wait. Studying can wait. Your kids can pester someone else. It’s just you (and maybe some friends) for awhile.

You time is completely dedicated to you as a way for you to relax, unwind, clear your mind and emerge refreshed and rejuvenated. You block out everything you need to do and anything that is bothering you, and you focus on whatever relaxes you and makes you happy. During this time you can do anything you want. For some people it might be a nice long nap or meditation. Maybe for some it’s a nice peaceful walk, run or bike ride. Others might grab a book or their iPod and go sit out in the sun at home, at a park, by a lake (my personal favorite) or even a coffee shop. Maybe it’s grabbing lunch and going shopping or to a movie, either by yourself or with a friend or friends. It could be a Happy Hour or night out with friends. It could even just be binge-watching something on Netflix or Hulu.

Whatever it is, there are three rules:

1. It’s nothing that you have to do, that you’re obligated by others to do or that is an inconvenience to you;
2. It’s nothing that directly benefits others;
3. It’s something you enjoy and that makes you happy!

I know what you’re thinking… gosh, I’m so busy, I just don’t have time. Right? Stop right there. It’s not about having time. It’s just a matter of making time. You do have the time, you just don’t realize it.

One of the first steps is to stop over-committing and over-booking yourself, which means learning to say no and to let go of some things. My next blog will be dedicated to just that, so stay tuned.

Once you do the above, you’ll immediately see time open up. But if you take some time to look at how your days typically are, you will see you already have time in your day. Many of us waste so much time by not planning or thinking ahead. For instance, some simple things you can do to open up time in your daily lives are planning your errands, chores and meals. Knowing everything you need and need to do, and setting a day every week to do it, will eliminate a lot of unnecessary back-and-forth. We are all guilty of making multiple trips to Target in one week, aren’t we? Planning your meals ahead of time will save time when it’s actually time to make them because you can be sure to have everything you need, can prep some of it ahead of time, maybe use something leftover and you will know how much time you need to make it.

We all also are probably guilty of wasting time dragging our feet, dilly-dallying, do who knows what and oftentimes we don’t even realize it. Really, how many times have you sat down at the computer just to check your mail or newsfeeds and before you know it, an hour or two has passed? Yep, guilty.

Giving yourself even an hour a day or every other day, and more on the weekends, really will do wonders for you. You will feel less stressed and more relaxed, and thus happier and more positive. And when you feel stress really building up in you, or you’re feeling a lot of frustration or are just feeling exhausted, just stop and say ok, this weekend I am going to take an entire afternoon or evening just for myself doing something I enjoy. For me, I’ll take an afternoon and go sit by the lake, bring a lunch and just listen to my iPod while people-watching, or will just spend an evening watching Netflix or Hulu and maybe do some reading.

Another thing I suggest, and I know it’s not something that everyone has the means to do, is planning yourself a little getaway at least once a year. It can just be a weekend getaway somewhere a short drive away or a bigger vacation. Getting yourself farther away from home and the city will help you mentally disconnect and get away from things that cause you stress and that are bothering you. If you feel this is something you could only dream of, start a getaway jar and routinely put your change in there and from time-to-time some dollar bills. Within a year, you could potentially have enough for a weekend getaway at the very least.

The bottomline is we have to take care of ourselves. We have to make ourselves number one. If we don’t set aside time for ourselves and take care of ourselves, we are only going to burnout and be of no good to anyone, especially when someone needs us the most.