Running On Empty

It’s a fast-paced world. More and more of us are finding less and less free time in our lives. You know the feeling… its always something/someone who needs us. Work is hectic, and it seems like you have to work harder and longer just to stay even.

Families are getting busier and busier. Our kids are always off somewhere, soccer, band, the mall… and somehow you always have to drive them or get them ready. Clothes to be washed, bills to pay, deadlines to meet and meals to cook. And you want me to take time out for myself? Are you nuts?

Nope. I may be nuts, but not because I want you to take some time out and give it to yourself. The gift of some “ME time” is the best gift that you can give to yourself, and actually, in the end it is a gift for your family and your boss as well.

Are you feeling a bit thin these days? Stretched out like taffy until you are almost see-through? There really is only one way to get your substance back, and that is by finding and using some “Me time”. “Me time” is that long, relaxing bath where you light candles and listen to soothing music. It is time that is spent out on the porch, alone and daydreaming. It is sitting in your favorite chair, reading that book that you always wanted to get to. It is meditation, contemplation, it is time spent alone.

You can find this time if you want to, if you make it (and you) a priority in your life. If your family is not really “down” with it, then just do it anyway. They will adjust. They will see the benefit after you come back from it, refreshed and relaxed.

You have to be consistent for this to really be of benefit, and for your family to learn to respect your time. Set aside “ME time” say, 3 times a week, every week. Even 15 minutes will help. Stop looking at “Me time” as “wasting time” and begin to look at it as a recharge of your batteries. If you had something physically wrong with you and a doctor prescribed a medication for you to take 3 times a week that would put you back into perfect health, you would take it. Well, this is a prescription for your mental and emotional health. People who are stretched thin get sick. Your immune system is greatly affected by your emotions. Begin to see the “me time” as medicine for your soul.

Most all of us have been taught since we were little that taking time for ourselves is selfish. Nothing could be further from the truth! Most of us believe that daydreaming is a total waste of time. Again, not true. Both of these activities are essential to the well being of the body human. Daydreaming is very similar to meditating. It can help you to see dreams that you have, and goals that you may want to set in your life. It allows your over-worked mind to relax. The same is true of “me time”.

So, it is time to “plump up” your emotional being. Give yourself a break, and the benefits will amaze you. After all, you deserve it, and no one is going to hand this to you on a silver platter. The only time that someone will grab you and tell you that it is time to slow down and relax is when it is already doing you visible harm. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of hospitalization!