We are often so busy these days, we rarely think about the idea of how often we are taking ourselves for granted or how we should be putting ourselves first for a change.
The reality is that there are plenty of reasons why you should schedule me time every now and then — you just have to find the time and make the effort to do so. Here are a few tips:a
Make yourself a priority
It might sound selfish, but if you put yourself first, everything else will probably fall into place. You need to make sure that you’re being healthy mentally before you can accomplish anything else in your life.
Start your day a little bit earlier
If you feel like you don’t have enough time during your day to devote yourself to things you like to do, especially if your house is full to the brim, you could try creating the time you need instead. Wake up a little bit earlier to have more time for yourself. You can exercise, read, or drink coffee in silence. Try going to bed and waking up earlier so you can have some time without being distracted by the kids’ online lessons or your partner’s video meetings.
Let go of control
It can be really hard to let go of control when you feel like you have to do everything to get anything accomplished. But saying goodbye to that anxiety is one of the first steps to finding more free time for yourself. Try to be honest with yourself as to why you have a hard time letting go and pinpoint where the most severe areas are. Once you accomplish that, learn to surrender and allow others to help you. It’s OK to admit that you need a little help, especially if it means taking care of ourselves again.
Prioritize your free time by scheduling it
If you’re having a hard time making personal time a priority for yourself, then you might want to actually pencil it into your calendar. It might sound silly, but once you schedule it, you’ll feel less inclined to cancel. Treat it as if it’s a real meeting and don’t even think about canceling it last minute, because then you’re just being rude to yourself. Schedule a time slot on your calendar and treat it with high importance. Get rid of things that can easily distract you from relaxing, and once you start adding it into your calendar, try to make it part of your routine. Schedule it during the same time every week, so it can become a solid habit.
