During this A to Z month, I've written about what I'm interested in and what makes me happy. Now, towards the end, I want to devote this post to 'you'.
Caring about yourself and caring for yourself are not selfish acts. You are the most important person in your life, and the better you do and feel, the more you can give to others - whether it's love, friendship, time, attention or even money.
Therefore, I want to encourage you to take some you-time this weekend. I'm sure you deserve it.
Here are a few suggestions:
- Plan a trip. It doesn't have to be long, far, or expensive. Alone, if you prefer, or with the people you would most like to spend time with.
- Read a book you've wanted to read for a long time. Switch off your phone & computer and let everyone around you know you're not to be disturbed. If your home is too busy, take your book to a coffee house, tearoom, bar or park.
- Do something that makes you laugh.
(Watching Blackadder episodes works for me.) - Take a walk to a nice spot nearby and spend some time there, enjoying the view.
- Open a good bottle of wine or champagne and savour every sip.
- Get your hair done, enjoy a massage, a pedicure if you're on your feet all day, or a couple of hours of pampering at a spa.
- Sign up for yoga, cooking or foreign language classes, learn to paint, or join a choir or a book club.
- Call a friend and arrange to meet up for dinner.
- Make a list of what you'd want to do if you had no 'have-tos'. Then do at least one of the items on your list.
- Put on a cd you love, sit or lie down, close your eyes and listen. (Or dance.)
- If you have pets, play with them. If you have a dog, take him/her out for a walk and pretend it's the other way round.
- Think about what you most dislike about your life and think up all kinds of crazy and creative ways to solve that problem. Who knows, you might come up with a real solution, and if not, you'll at least have smiled.
- Remind yourself that you don't have to wait until later to live the life you want.
What do you do when you need time for yourself?
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Image: 'Photographing Friends Is Too Much Fun! - Day 4' by Sleeping Sun. Available under a creative commons license. © 2010, Sleeping Sun.
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When I need time for myself desperately, I get a book out and bury my nose in it.
ReplyDelete@Karen: It's not me, but I forgot to add the photo credit. :-) I've fixed it now, so thanks for the reminder :-). And: singing and playing an instrument are such great ways to forget about the world and just care about ourselves!
ReplyDelete@mbj: me too. Just me, my thoughts and a world of its own.
I'm doing it right now! I'm on a break at the conference. Having a great time meeting up with people, talking books, and drinking coffee by the gallon.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
Friends. Whether that be online or in person. That's what refuels me. ;D
ReplyDeleteI mostly do what I regularly do. I tend to my own needs pretty much--maybe too much.
ReplyDeleteLee
Tossing It Out
Some very wise words here, especially the final point to live the life we want.
ReplyDelete@L.G.: Sounds great! :-) Have a brilliant weekend yourself! :-)
ReplyDelete@Lisa: Absolutely. Being with friends in a nice environment, good conversation, a bottle of wine: my idea of a good time :-)
@Lee: That's great, if you can do that :-)
@Rosalind: thank you. I still need to remind myself on a regular basis. It's not a natural thing to do for me, yet.
I'm pretty much do what I want on a regular basis, as I'm retired and my children are grown.
ReplyDeleteHello, fellow A-Z Challenger! Here's my latest entry. Come visit either of my blogs when you can and leave some comment love:
Y is for Yoni http://bit.ly/mT3BM7
http://www.mainstreamsolarcooking.com
http://www.rockinchairreflections.com (A-Z)
Twitter: @SolarChief
Great post! I agree, taking care of yourself is not selfish, it's important. I wish more moms, in particular, would remember that. It seems like it's too easy to put everyone else's needs first.
ReplyDelete@Sharlene: great to hear! Time to harvest what you've sown. :-)
ReplyDelete@Shelli: somehow the others' needs seem more urgent, but that's usually not true. There's probably a degree of control involved as well, or fear the world might go on turning when we take a break. ;-)