Now that winter is slowly (very slowly) approaching its end, it's the best time to take some time to unwind, recharge & perhaps rethink what's passed and what's yet to come.
It's like preparing to shed your old skin when spring arrives.
Carving out some time for YOU amidst all the hustle and bustle of our day-to-day is truly essential, yet so often we forget about it.
Taking time to relax and de-stress can mean an improvement in your mood, brain function, and even memory.
And it can literally come from laying on your sofa with a book. Well, if you ask me - I'm in!
Relaxation will allow your mind and body to repair itself. You'll make better decisions.
The menopausal indecisiveness in me is screaming currently, haha!
While it does sound wonderful, I oftentimes find myself not knowing where and how to start. So I have put together a couple of useful bullet points:
- Dedicate an evening (or morning) for yourself.
This is probably the easiest way to decompress, especially when you're a beginner at “ME time”. Indulge in something you enjoy and/or often don't have the right moment or motivation to do.
It can be truly anything, reading a book, taking a bath, going for a walk, doing your nails, enjoying peaceful solitude at home by the fire, meeting up with friends or planning a date night.
If you're lucky enough to have the whole evening off, create one you'll remember with a smile on your face.
Cook a delicious meal, light some candles, read a magazine, watch your favourite movie or TV show, take a bath.
Well, you'll know what to do when you're at it! The ideas usually just start flowing and the next thing you know - one evening won't be enough. And that's wonderful :)
- Disconnect to connect.
In this fast-paced world of technology we live in, it's great to spend some time offline.
I have found that this actually is my favourite way to find and take time for myself.
When the screen is off and you know there's nothing important going on (make sure to arrange everything so that there isn't) in the digital world, you can find a kind of peace that's hard to get nowadays.
Most importantly, going offline lets your mind rest.
Sometimes social media, emails, and notifications can make your mind work harder than it needs to.
By taking a break from all that extra information, your mind is free to focus on what really matters to you. Taking a break from your devices can be very refreshing, I guarantee you'll feel better.
It frees up time to spend with the ones you love.
And that's something no webpage can offer you. Real connections. With real people.
I think there's nothing to add here.
- Treat yourself!
Allocating some time for self-care treatments or experiences is a great way to get some “ME time” in.
For those who say: “I don't have the time to make my bathroom a spa sanctuary on a Thursday night”, I have a quote I love by Sydney J. Harris.
“The time to relax is when you don’t have the time for it.”
And it's so true! We always need it the most when we tell ourselves it's the last thing we're able to dedicate time for.
And that's how we get frustrated, jell on our partner, get irritated by the smallest conjunction on the way to work and get burnt out.
It's our responsibility to find time for ourselves. And we're the ones to keep ourselves accountable for it.
- Take a few days off.
Yes, you heard me.
Studies have shown that taking time away from the job can have physical and mental health benefits.
People who take vacations have lower stress, less risk of heart disease, a better outlook on life, and more motivation to achieve goals.
If this is not a win-win situation then I don't know what is.
Of course, for some it will take long hours of planning and talking to other people to get at least one day off work in 6 months, yet it's so worth it.
And you're worthy of it.
All in all, I strongly believe that finding time for yourself is essential to our wellbeing.
It's our responsibility to take care of ourselves and honestly it should be our pleasure as well as priority too.
As March begins, I hope you begin to feel like your soul is getting ready to bloom.
As if your energy levels and inner joy is sprouting their way up just to be able to show themselves to the world.
I hope you have a wonderful week ahead!
Love,
Kate
