Table of Contents Show
Whether it’s responsibilities at work or at home or people in your life who need your attention, it can make you feel like you have too much load on your head and that is why it is important to take time for yourself and to relax once in a while.
This may be hard for some people with the demands of their work, family, schools, and college life. But it is one of the essential things for one’s well-being.
It does not matter how busy you are with your schedule; you must take time for yourself.
1. Top 13 Best Ways to Take Time for Yourself
If you prioritize yourself by, taking time for yourself, then it will not only keep you sane but will also make you happy. It will also make you efficient about yourself. It is known as “ME TIME.”
ME TIME makes us more creative, strengthens our relations, and make our brain more productive. You may have plans, deadlines, and meetings, but making time for yourself is more important. If you are not having any me time, then it’s high time now. You should have a start.
Everyone should have some free time for themselves. Time to relax. Time to spend with themselves to pursue their passions and hobbies. Even if you are too busy, there are many ways to take time for yourself.
Here are some ways to take time for yourself when you are a busy adult.
1.1. Say No:
It is okay to say No to anyone. Your time is precious, and you spend it on yourself. Do the things that would bring your life some value and make you more creative instead of wasting time on others.
It’s alright if you do not feel like going out with someone who invited you. Learn to say no to them. Instead, you can have some time at home and do yoga, taking time for yourself.
It is also okay if your friend asks to help them, but you do not have the time. Normalize the word “NO” in your daily life and never feel guilty for saying it. If you are declining an invitation or any help, then the best phrase you can use is “I’m Sorry, I can’t.”
Don’t do activities that will drain your time or minimize your energy. The gatherings that have become a habit try to ditch them. Most importantly, do not waste time and energy on such people who only can take without giving.
1.2. Delegate:
Try to ask people for help. Many of us hate asking for help from people. But everyone needs help in any phase of their life.
Ask for help from family, friends, and colleagues to help you out. Also, it is imperative to thank them or treat them. It is worth it.
If you are not able to find help from anyone, pay for it. Hire babysitters, or maids to clean the house, and make your meals, as virtual assistants. So, that your work finishes before time and you can enjoy your own company later.
1.3. Turn Electronics Off:
Keep away your devices such as phones, laptops, tablets, computers, or any other electronic device which you are addicted to or often use in a while. There might be less than a few afternoons in which you would spend time with yourself.
In the majority, you keep responding to your emails or worthlessly scrolling through social media.
Social media has its benefits, but it is true that more than the benefits, it has disadvantages. It can trap you for 24 hours looking at memes or videos. If you want to make time for yourself, minimize your interactions with social media because it causes extreme distractions.
1.4. Tell People What You Need:
If you want to make time for yourself, it does not mean you are not interested in someone else’s company. It means that you want some time with yourself and you want to enjoy yourself together. Do not feel guilty or apologize for asking what you urge.
People should know that you need time for yourself or want to stay home while going out for a gathering. Also, ask your friends what they need or what gives them energy. Support each other even if you are on not good terms with them.
1.5. Explore Your Guilt:
If you feel guilty about anything, then the best thing to do is write all your thoughts and feelings on paper. It will make you feel light and help you examine what is going on with you instead of just letting this go on in your mind.
Ask yourself some questions like:
- Why don’t I trust people to let them know about my needs?
- Why do I feel guilty while having some “ME TIME”?
Put all your guilt on paper and do what you want to do to or take care of yourself. Always remember that when you are serving yourself, you are also helping the people around you. By taking care of yourself, you will not only stay positive all day, but also you will have more energy. You can also give enough attention to the people you love.
1.6. Simplify:
If you already have a busy schedule for yourself, you will feel anxious, overwhelmed, or distracted. Be smooth with yourself and go with the flow. Clutters on the outside give more clutters on the inside. If you choose less stuff on the outside, then you can experience enough peace inside.
Simplicity calms the heart of every introvert because:
- It helps you to create boundaries.
- It helps to sleep peacefully.
- It helps to feel connected and present with loved ones.
- It helps in more clarity, minimizing depression.
- It allows you to pay attention to those things which matter more than anything else and let worthless things go.
- It helps you have that freedom to search for the work that enables you to be you.
- It helps you to listen to your heart, body, and soul.
- It allows you to understand that you are enough for yourself and don’t need to prove your ability.
- By simplifying your life, you can politely decline the things that don’t matter to you anymore and do the things that only make you feel love.
- It will also help you live a loved life, and it is the way back to love
1.7. Take Time for Yourself Each Day:
Taking out time for yourself is one of the most necessary things. Finding time for at least some hours a day is very effective.
You should go out alone or on a ME DATE to have fun and do the things you love to do. Sitting on the park bench will also give you peace of mind.
Do the things that make you feel love and bring you joy and value. Even if you have the busiest schedule, it will be possible for you to take out time if you want to. Spend that time doing your favourite activity such as writing poems, listening to songs, doing yoga, exercising, meditation, or going for a walk.
1.8. Get Creative:
Getting creative has a lot many benefits. It reduces stress and anxiety. Promote joy and help in healing.
It can come in any form, such as gardening, painting, crafting, dancing, writing, and cooking. Engaging in productive things will not only help you but will also brighten your future.
Music is one of the best examples. It has been proven that music is used to calm down and remove stress management1 by balancing the brain’s neural activity. 2For addressing and healing both physical and emotional issues, Music Therapy is used with great success.
If you think that you are not a creative person, that’s okay. You do not have to be an expert to be creative.
There are many forms of creativity, and more critical to being an expert is to enjoy what you are doing. Your paintings are not meant to be hung on the walls of museums. For example, Adult colouring books are just for fun.
1.9. Recognize Your Sanctuaries:
Select a few places that you love, and those places give you peace—the places where you can be all alone for an extended period and get recharged. Also, recognize some emergency getaway spots. For example, you may love to read in the afternoon, so you prefer to go to libraries.
Your sanctuaries may not be exact locations. Instead, you can also have activities like writing, knitting, or hiking. These are the best places for a person to fill up their heart. If you only have a few minutes for yourself, then the bathroom or closets are the best places for deep breathing.
1.10. Build a Reserve:
Do not wait for the people to be out so that you can take time to recharge. Take extra time from your busy daily schedule to do what you want to do or love, such as writing, reading, walking alone, or doing whatever makes you happy.
You can keep yourself calm and comfortable, which will automatically make you show all the ways to make love to your loved ones.
Everyone is busy in their day-to-day life, but the most important thing is that you need to do everything that makes you happy.
1.11. Make Time:
It seems that everything is equally important in your life, especially when it comes to work or jobs or tasks around the room. A better option in a busy daily schedule is to cut off some work which your siblings can do for you or the work that is not mandatory or necessary so that your plan can be partially clear and you can easily make time for yourself.
- Ask your siblings for help. If you need something from the market, ask your cousins or family to get you that. There you almost save 20 minutes which you can spend on yourself.
- Say no to unnecessary household work. Understand your time limits and do the jobs that will benefit you or that you have in your daily life schedule.
- Ask out for help. If you have much work to do, then keep a co-worker or someone under you who can help you throughout. It will reduce your amount of work and free up your time faster.
1.12. Change Your Routine:
Changing the routines of a busy daily schedule is one of the most valuable things in their lives. It changes their lifestyles and makes them more productive. It is not always possible in a busy schedule to make time for yourself. So, try to change your routine. If you wake up at 7 a.m. and rush for your work, it will be better to wake up at 6:45 a.m. and relax for a couple of minutes. Similarly, throughout the day, do your job a little faster, so that not for half an hour but for 10 to 15 minutes you have time for yourself.
This might feel tiring at first, but it will be great for your body and you if you start doing this. A few minutes with yourself will help you stay in peace and feel charged, enhancing your ability to do the activities or work. If you keep doing this, it will be an excellent exercise for your body.
1.13. Start Doing Tasks That You Have Cut Off:
Don’t waste your time scrolling through social media but do the things you love. Do something that you promised yourself but did not do it. This can be anything such as a craft activity decorating your room or recognizing your house.
Make you it is what you love to do, but you did not have enough time to do it. It must be what you look forward to doing, and you enjoy it because then only you will be making time to do it further.
2. In The End
Do fill your hobbies that you wished to do someday but never had time for doing it. It will let you be creative and productive and help you spend time with yourself and make time for yourself, and the nut will also make you happy. The activity or hobby can be anything you like, for example, drawing, knitting, sewing, making jewellery or doing anything.
There should be no time in your life to feel guilty about what you need or what you are. Most importantly, when it comes to loving yourself or your loved ones. The Less time you spend on guilt, the more you will be able to love yourself.
Never ignore the person that matters the most to you. That is you. Make time for yourself from your busy schedule for yourself and your mental, physical, and emotional health, which is the most important.
Life is busy, but also it is short.
It is not simple to make time for yourself every day from your schedule, but you should at least take out half an hour every day just for yourself. Whatever you do every day that makes you happy, make sure to make it happen every day.
Click here to know more.
2. FAQs
Q1. Why Is It So Hard to Take Time for Me?
One of the biggest reasons we have trouble finding time for ourselves is because we think it’s too difficult. However, 10 minutes is better than 0 minutes, especially every day. Determine what you can achieve at any given time.
Q2. Is It Good to Take Time for Yourself?
Taking time to do things by yourself can have mental, emotional and social benefits, but the key to reaping these positive rewards comes from spending time alone.
Q3. Why Am I Scared to Take Care of Myself?
Taking care of yourself is especially difficult for people who grew up in a dysfunctional family and/or developed dependent habits. Insecure people struggle with self-care because they often focus on other people’s feelings, needs, and problems, and often care about others at the expense of themselves.
- Greenberg, Jerrold S. “Comprehensive stress management.” (2002): 301-320. ↩︎
- Renart, Alfonso, and Christian K. Machens. “Variability in neural activity and behavior.” Current opinion in neurobiology 25 (2014): 211-220. ↩︎
Last Updated on by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology