5 Ways To Treat Yourself To More Time
Today is my birthday, folks...I'm now the big 4-0. A new decade. I'm feeling okay about it (I think). Now, really this isn't a shameless way to get all of you, my virtual buds, to wish me happy birthday, but it truly has something to with this post.
I was thinking about when I turned 30, and how my life has changed during the past 10 years. It has in big ways (I had my daughter and had some major turns in that career path) and small ways (more gray hair, different eating habits, and, yes, less time for me).
That last one is a small one, but also a big one. It is perhaps the main thing most moms wish they had more of - a bit more time during the day, during the week just to recharge, to relax, alone, not rushed, not stressed (or at least less stressed).
We feel like it is an indulgence to take time for ourselves, when, actually, it should be a regular thing. Not a treat, but a necessity. Not the candy of the day, but the vitamins that are essential to keep us healthy. My main gift I am giving to myself this decade? More "me" time. How am I going to do it? Check these ideas out -- and try them with me!
-- Look at a "normal" week and chart where your time goes. I put those quotation marks there as I know every week has something that crops up, that there never is a regular week for us moms, but see how you usually spend your time and see what can be combined, shifted, or given to someone else to free up some me time.
-- Make it part of the routine. Whether it is taking 20 minutes after the kids go to bed and before you clean up the kitchen or it is an early morning weekend walk when Dad cooks them pancakes, fit it into your daily or weekly schedule. If you try and just see where you may find time, that won't work. There will always be something else to do. Treat it like an appointment or a deadline.
-- Learn to say No. This is a tough one for me. Whether it is baking for the ninth bake sale of the school year or when your sister-in-law who is always late and stays too long asks if she can come over to borrow a cake plate, say no or take control of the situation. Tell the PTA you will do the next one or bring some store-bought paper plates; you use that time you would have spent baking for your me time. Tell your sister-in-law you will drop off the cake plate after school pick-up and use that time you would have had to spend chatting on your favorite novel.
-- Time yourself doing tasks. Give yourself a time limit for returning emails or cleaning or the like. Spend 30 or 45 minutes doing what you need to do and then give yourself a break for the other part of that hour. Bonus on this one: you will notice you are more productive.
-- Try different ways to see what is best for you. If early morning me time doesn't work, think about a later night one or weekend afternoon me time. See where you get the most out of that relaxation time.
How do you fit in more "me" time?
©iStockphoto.com/PeskyMonkey
When my kids were little, "me" time was practically nonexistent...and that's okay. Now that they're older (almost 12 to 25 yrs old), I have plenty of "me" time in the mornings before our day starts.
Happy Birthday. I will be 40 in 2 weeks and I had my dd during the last 10 years, got married and have been PTO President for 3 years lol. Um I take REALLY long showers! I mean I use all the hot water lol. But when my dd is in school, my dh is at work so when I'm not at school volunteering, I pretty much have the day to myself.
Happy belated birthday! I take a break when I need one, but my me-time is usually in the morning when my son is still asleep.
Quoting ReesesPieces:
My kids will only be little once and when I'm 50 I'll have too much me time and I'll be lonely.
That's the way I look at it too! Except now I've got a granddaughter to play with...
Lately any extra time I have has been spent taking a long hot shower. I try to time it so that once the baby has nursed and I know she's going to be asleep for awhile I jump in the shower and stay as long as I can lol.
JOB!!!
- HeatherNYC
on Apr. 30, 2012 at 12:00 AM