Taking valuable ‘me time’ is a vital part of life. It allows you to be alone, to process your own thoughts and to relax. But many people simply don’t have enough of it in their busy schedules.
Whether you’re a single parent, a suit in the city or a stressed teenager studying for exams you need to put down your baby, your business report or your pen and ask yourself “Am I getting enough me time?”
Here are some actionable suggestions to help you achieve that perfect work/life balance:
Do you have any hobbies anymore?
A hobby can be anything from playing online games to horse riding. They are important because they allow people to spend a bit of time to enjoy doing something they have a passion for, enriching their lives as a result.
Someone who has a healthy amount of me time will have at least one hobby that they are able to partake in on a regular basis. If you don’t even have a single hobby, then you need to make more time for yourself.
Do you ever put yourself first?
As a human being it is important that every now and then you help other people out. It can give you an enormous amount of wellbeing to know that you have come to the aid of another person. However, it is important that the needs of others don’t always come in front of your own.
If you drop everything at a moment’s notice to go help someone else out, people might start to take advantage of you, and the longer you let it go on the harder it is to stop. If you are in the middle of doing something that you feel is important to you, don’t let outside influences get in the way; and don’t feel guilty about it either!
Do you sleep enough?
Sleep is perhaps the most important component of me time. Sleep will boost your health and your mood. There are no hard and fast rules about sleep but generally people need at the very minimum 6 hours a night. Lack of sleep can make a person irritable and fatigued during the day. If you don’t have enough time for this bare minimum of nightly rest then you need to make more me time for yourself.
Are you ever alone?
People without much me time are rarely alone, perhaps only when they are on the toilet. And during the time they are alone they often feel guilty that they are not busy. But time alone should not be treated with such contempt. In fact, you should actively make time in your schedule for periods in your life when you are completely on your own.
Times such as these will allow you to recharge your batteries and to put your thoughts in order. There are plenty of really simple ways you can introduce this alone time into your daily schedule, such as having a nice relaxing bath from time to time or taking a pleasant constitutional.
This is a guest post
Picking up a great book works for us (as long as you can keep your eyes open reading it).