It is so common these days that we have time for everything and everyone except for ourselves. And though "putting yourself first" may sound a bit selfish and careless, the fact is that if you are not satisfied and happy with yourself, the chances are that you're not gonna be happy with anyone or anything else. Having no time for yourself can seriously effect every aspect of your everyday life. But how to find time to devote to your own self if you are buried in obligations towards others, your job, taking care of your home, socializing, and tons of other things that do not allow you to be alone with yourself?!
Your soul is like a flower, it needs certain things to keep it growing and expanding and being healthy and pretty!
I have to be honest, that is something that I am desperately trying to solve for myself. Every day I have a feeling like I have less and less free time that I can use for myself only, for my soul and my own being. Like so many of other people, I wake up in the last moment still tired from the previous day, get myself ready and go to work, going home after half of the day dealing with other people needs, spend few hours before bed time over the stove and over the computer working on my designs, sometimes doing the extra cleaning that I did not manage to do on my day off, sometimes visiting friends or having them over, or sometimes shopping for groceries or anything that involves going out of the house because there is something that just needs to be done. Even my days off work are not so much relaxing because of spending hours on Skype, trying to stay in touch with my family and friends back home, cleaning and getting things in order all over the house, more work on my designs, more cooking and more so many other things that have a MUST BE DONE TODAY tag. So, where and how to be with yourself in all that mess?
It's not easy. It takes a different approach, a bit of changing your state of mind and adjustment.
This is where I am trying to find the ME TIME when there is no time for it:
CLEANING
- can be bored and pain in the bum, the very thought of cleaning when you have a day off and could spend it on so many other fun things can be very discouraging for even starting it, but it just has to be done or .... you don't even want to think of what could happen. Cleaning used to make me angry and nervous because I had a feeling of waisting time. But you cannot live in a dirt, because mess that might surround you can't do good to you. That is why I started to see cleaning time as kind of a me time. I usually do it when I am home alone. So while doing the cleaning, I think of the things that I usually think of only when relaxing - like planning the next vacation or thinking of something that is bothering me at the moment and trying to figure out the reason and the solution, or thanking the Universe for every recent opportunity or good thing that happened lately, or talking to my soul and getting things in mind straighten. The best thing about it is that time flies! Much much faster then if you are cleaning and thinking how there's still an entire room yet to be done!
LUNCH TIME AT WORK
- It is not just me, I know bunch of other people who use their lunch time at work as their "work-while-eating" time. Which is not good. Lunch breaks and coffee breaks at work should be something that completely takes you away from whatever your work is for those 15 or 30 minutes. Your brain needs a rest, you need to fill your batteries not just with food, but with positive energy for your soul, too. I used to go for my lunch breaks taking my iPad with me and doing whatever needs to be done for my side job while trying to finish my pasta. So unhealthy and wrong! That break usually would not do anything for me, it's just like not having it at all! When I realized that, I decided to change the game. I would force myself to leave my workplace physically, leaving all the things that could engage me into the work during the break - behind. Sometimes I would just sit in the food court by the window, watching the snow falling and thinking of whatever but the work. Or I would go and walk the mall and try some things on or go and smell some nice lotions and soaps as a first-aid aromatherapy to relax me a bit. You should do anything, ANYTHING on your work break but work! And I promise you that the other half of your working day will be much more productive and satisfying for you!
TRAVELLING TO/FROM WORK
- for all of you who commute on daily basis in order to get to and from work, it is not always and for everyone "just-a-few-minutes-ride". In my case, it is a 40 minutes long process. But it is ok, I decided that I will be able to take it! At first, I used that 40 minutes of sitting in a bus as a time to answer all my emails that came overnight, or plan the rest of my work day, or answering messages from all of my friends back home who's day was already half gone so they had something to share. Everyday until one day - when I decided to spend my time in the bus daydreaming or reading a book. And guess what? Not only that it seemed like 40 minutes were 4 minutes, but I also felt so peaceful and much more ready for a new day then before. Using a commute time for being with yourself can be a great everyday treat for your soul!
COOKING
- no matter how much I like it, it doesn't always come in the wright time. When I come home from work, I usually just want to lay on the couch and vegetate, but it is so very impossible to do. We are trying to eat a home made food because all the take-outs and frozen food are so not what I am used to have back home. But preparing the dinner from the scratch after a long day at work can be so annoying and time consuming. Well, until you figure out that while cutting the vegetables or stirring your sauce you can actually - SING! Singing is so healthy for the soul, no matter whether you are talented for it or not, nothing should be stopping you in letting your voice out. Or sing it quietly, inside. You don't have to sing with your voice, you can sing in your mind, too! Your favourite song, a tune that you've heard on the radio, something made up - it doesn't matter. It instantly makes me happy and I bet that it also puts an extra dose of love and good vibe into the food. There is an instant connection between singing and the spirit. Music is the language of the soul, speak it!
What is your way of finding "ME TIME" when there is no time?
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