Taking time for myself...nurturing myself...having "ME TIME"! ♥

Today,
 I took time for myself.

Today,
 I had my "me time"!!

I got my weekly mani-pedi from my fave salon! ☺

How to find the time for yourself and why it matters.

Women today have been told we have it all ~~ careers, families, kids, community involvement, and relationships.

But all too often, having it all leaves us with no time or strength left for ourselves.

Recent research has shown that women today are less happy than they have been over the past 40 years.

There are many theories about why, but lack of free time can be a major reason.

"There's a tremendous amount of stress and pressure put on us women:
 being parents, being daughters, mothers, wives, professionals.

All of these roles combined leave many of us not taking adequate care of ourselves 
~~ which is what sustains us and gives us the energy to take care of all these other responsibilities that we have," 
says Randy Kamen Gredinger, a psychologist and life coach specializing in women's issues.

Whether you're taking care of a baby, sleeplessly waiting for your teen to come home, caring for your aging parents, attending to your spouse's needs 
~~ or all of the above 
~~ every woman needs an occasional break for sanity's sake.

This means taking time each day to do something for yourself.

But how can we make it happen??

Make yourself a Priority

First, realize how important it is.

"I've been talking to women about this for years, and we seem to have trouble even feeling like we're worthy of being put on our own list of priorities," 
says Amy Tiemann, author of Mojo Mom: Nurturing Your Self While Raising a Family and founder of Mojomom.com.

"If you can't do it because you feel like you don't deserve it, look at it this way:
 You are a first responder.
 An emergency can come up at any time, and you should be as well rested and restored as you'd want your ER doc or EMT to be," Tiemann says.

"And besides, taking care of yourself will make you a better parent and partner.
 You'll be more fun to be around and more responsive to your family."

OK, so you're convinced.

 It's time to take time for you.

Now, when can you fit in?

Don't wait for the time to just magically appear.

It won't.

Schedule Your "Me" Time

Make your free time as important as the visit to the doctor, the conference call, and your meeting with the contractor.

Treat it just like any other appointment.

You have to build in battery recharge time," 
says Margaret Moore, co-director of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

"We're very good at project management in our work lives, but not so well in our personal lives.

Treat it like any project:
 I want to recharge my batteries so I don't feel so frazzled and worn out."

Try to find at least half an hour to an hour every day for you.

It doesn't have to be all at once.

And before you decide what you're going to do with the time you're building into your schedule, promise yourself that you won't waste it.

"We're a multitasking society.

If we're having a conversation with a friend, we're thinking about the other things we have to get done," says Allison Cohen, a marriage and family therapist in Los Angeles.

"Instead, you need to be present in the moment.

 Whatever you're doing for yourself, don't be thinking about your grocery list or the Power Point presentation.

 There's a lot of time in our day that we could be enjoying, but we lose it because we're focused on what we have to do next."

You don’t need a lot of time, either.

 Here are ideas for making the most of even 5 minutes of "me" time...

If You Have 5-10 Minutes

• Sit on your terrace with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. Or a cup of coffee and no newspaper. Just watch the clouds go by. No phone or calendar allowed.
• Call a friend to chat -- just talk, without an agenda. 
• Move. Get up from your desk, stretch, and walk around the block or up and down a flight of stairs.
• Breathe deeply. While you're sitting in your office, car, or home, focus on breathing slowly and gently for five minutes. It's OK if your mind wanders a bit, but don't start planning what you have to do next -- just follow your breath.
• Pet your pet. Focus for five minutes on cuddling with your pet cat or dog. You'll both feel better.
• Put on your iPod then just sit and listen to your favorite music.
• 
  

If You Have 15-30 Minutes

• Read one chapter of a book you've wanted to make time for. Keep a basket in your office or living room with a good book, magazine, crossword puzzle, or other short escapes.  
• Find a nearby park and go for a brisk walk.
• Putter. This doesn't mean cleaning the house or organizing your kids' clothes. Instead, it means doing little things at home that you enjoy, like trimming the plants and putting together a flower arrangement for your office or kitchen.
• Linger in the shower. If you're a parent, make sure the yaya/maid or another adult is around to make sure no one's going to yell "Mom!" Don't forget that fabulous bath gel you've been dying to try!
• 
  

If You Have 30-60 Minutes

• Get a massage, a facial, or a mani-pedi.
• Take a nap.
• Schedule a class that you've always wanted to take just for fun. (For instance, learning how to speak a new language.)
• Plan a long walk with a friend. Commit to it early in the week and honor the commitment. You're not training for anything, you're not trying to race-walk, you're just taking a long stroll with a good friend and enjoying the day.
• 
  

Add your own favorites to these lists.

Whatever you choose to do with your "me" time, make it relaxing and restorative.

"If you don't feel like it works for you, try something else," says Moore.
 'Shoulds'  are the enemy of relaxation.
 Don't think about what you should do, but about what makes you  thrive.

~As for me...I do a lot of stuff.

 My family and my friends think either my schedule's crazy or I'm "Super-woman".
(chuckle, chuckle)

 Their concerns are well founded; I do way too much.
They ask me the question:
 "So how do you have the time to do everything that you do?"
The answer to that question is simply,
 "I don't know, I just try to juggle everything well I guess."

 But here lies the key to my juggling act...
there is one key that helps me do all the stuff I need to do and remain sane.

 It's called... 
ME TIME.

Yes you heard me correctly.
 I'm talking about rejuvenation time, quiet time, alone time, personal time, self-care... 
ME TIME.

Two times a week, I drive away from my family and my sometimes-stressful life & schedule.

 I leave and suddenly, I'm not a wife, a mother, a blogger, or multitasker...
I'm just  "SAL".

 I'm just  "ME"  and for 4 hours I can go where I want to go and do what I want to do.

Answer this.

 When was the last time you were just "you"?

Not recently I bet.

What do I do in my 4 hours?

 Lots of stuff.

 I can go to the spa and have a body massage.

 I can go to the salon and have a mani-pedi for an hour.

 I can go to National Bookstore (my favorite book store) 
and browse around until it closes.

 I can go to the cemetery and visit my Dad.
I can go to the St.Vincent's Home For The Aged where a relative works as a secretary...
and there I can go do my apostolate...
visit and talk to the elderly.

 I can go to my fave resto and ask for the most fattening dessert on the menu.
 (LOL) ☺

 I can go watch a nice movie (love story, most especially!) and order the largest chips.
 (LOL) ☺

 I can go to the Capitol Lagoon and ride on the swings.

 I can go to the gym.
I can go to the mall and go to my fav'rite stores 
(Plains and Prints, Folded and Hung, Saranggola, Basix, Celine,etc.).

 I can drive far, far, away very slowly and look at the scenery.

The possibilities and the destinations are endless.

 I meet people & talk to them and I'm just  "ME".

 I can be myself, be by myself, and not think about the incompetent maids or the demanding family member.

It's a wonderful feeling, but most of all it clears the mind.

 It allows me to sort things out.

 New ideas, solutions to old problems, and other wonderful things pop into my mind as soon as silence surrounds me.

Try it, I dare you!

 But let me warn you, after you try it you'll never be able to live without it!
(wink, wink) ☺

~ SAL ♥