Can you remember the last time you had a day, an afternoon or even an hour to yourself? You spend almost the entirety of your day bouncing from meeting to meeting. On your evening commute you drive with one hand on the wheel and the other on your BlackBerry. When you get home you?re immediately bombarded by kids, your spouse or a laundry list of chores. Before bed you sit at your computer checking emails and tying up loose ends. The next morning you wake up and do it all over again.
Taking time alone to just relax and regroup is not selfish or lazy; it's necessary to keeping stress at bay, improving your relationships with others and ultimately being happy. Multiple blocks of free time are not going to magically appear in your schedule, however; it?s up to you to take the initiative to create them, so start making your own personal well-being a priority.
For many the idea of penciling in time alone and going on a date with yourself seem pretty sad. Others may see dates with themselves as a luxury or indulgence. Regardless of your perspective, you must realize that this is a necessity, so schedule time alone into your calendar first. Don?t wait until it?s filled up and then make excuses for why you can?t do it. Once your date is set (and it should be set regularly), don?t let anyone take it away from you. If anyone asks you already have plans. If your schedule starts to overflow, ?me time? is that last thing you take out. What you end up doing on your date is entirely up to you. Just don?t use this time to fold laundry, go grocery shopping, rake leaves or check any number of tasks off your to-do list.
If there are things out there that you know you love to do or think you might like to do but aren't doing, try them. Maybe you love running, scrapbooking, watching sports or yoga. Perhaps you'd like to take classes on a subject that interests you or volunteer with an organization you believe in. If you have a hobby or are passionate about something, don't let a busy schedule keep you away from it. Rearrange your calendar or get rid of things that are less important if need be.
Though you may feel like you're completely booked from sun up to sun down, chances are there are actually small windows of time that you could be reserving for yourself. Look at your commute. Try taking public transportation instead of driving, or walk if you can. If neither of those works for you, take the long way home and listen to music or books on tape, or just sit in silence. If you have appointments during the day, show up early and read. During your lunch break, go to a park and just sit or go for a walk. If you're chained to your desk, sit back and take 15 minutes to breathe.
If carving smaller chunks of time out of your schedule is a little tough, then take a day or a half day off just for yourself. You could take a day off and devote it entirely to shopping or fishing or anything that you enjoy that gives you time alone to regroup. The point here is that if integrating alone time into your daily schedule is too difficult, then taking the occasional day off for yourself is the next best option.
The bottom line is that personal time is necessary to your health, happiness and relationships with loved ones. ?I don't have the time,? ?I don?t know what I'd do,? or ?there are more important things that I need to be doing? shouldn?t even enter your mind. If you make time for yourself to physically and mentally recharge, your family, your friends and your body will thank you.
