What Is Your “Me-Time”?

Do you constantly put yourself on the back burner so you cram more into your workday? I know the feeling. In this day and age we have the mindset that “more is better” and because of that, we (women especially) have compromised ourselves. Family dinners every night are no longer the norm, and the idea of mom taking a break to do something for herself can be abhorring.

We are constantly giving of ourselves, but at the same time we’re destructing the sacred trilogy of mind, body and spirit. We need to understand that working through exhaustion and becoming worn out does not lead to more productivity, rather, it leads to sickness. Have you ever worked yourself almost to death? I know I have.

But I’m not really one to talk. Since quitting my job and pursuing my dream of writing and starting my own business, I have constantly been hooked up to either the Blackberry (crackberry) or laptop. Gone are the days where I used to sit and relax while I ate. Now I look to meals as an extra ten minutes to catch up on my emails. Until today. I was just on the elliptical at the gym, frantically trying to type out an email while I pumped away (killing two birds with one stone). Of course I lost balance and my phone dropped to the floor. Then it hit me. The gym is “me time”. Not time for emails, not time for conference calls or blogging—me time. I then picked up the phone, turned it off and continued my workout, after which I enjoyed a nice long steam and shower.  What is your “me time”?

I propose we do one thing each day just for us. It doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman, a husband or a wife. It could be as simple as taking a bath or finishing the chapter in the book you are reading. Though you might look healthy on the outside, if you haven’t found the delicate balance between mind, body and spirit, you are on the verge of collapsing.

We need to understand we can’t do it all. We just cannot. We aren’t perfect and there will always be something we feel like we “should” be doing. The simple act of turning off the laptop while eating lunch is going to be my dedication. Or maybe you should actually take a lunch break for once. Pack a healthy lunch from home and read a book while you eat, or go explore a new cafe near your office. Get up from the desk and take a walk. Your job depends on it.