 Helena Nyman |  |
So many of us feel guilty if we're not busy all the time and pat ourselves on the back for working like crazy. (I was one of these - but I'm getting better!)
But where does this 'keeping busy' and/or 'martyr-type attitude' really get us?
We start to get burned out and stressed out, which we all know can lead to heart disease, diabetes, depression, and more illnesses in general. We may miss out on our children's life. We may neglect our life partner.
Many of us live a life filled with doing things for others while forgetting ourselves. Even if we are not a caregiver or someone who puts others first, we sometimes get so busy with the task at hand in our lives, that we forget that we also need to take care of ourselves and nurture ourselves.
Researches have shown that the more you focus on others at the expense of yourself, the more likely you are to become burned out, bitter, and possibly even resentful.
It is critically important to remember to take care of yourself. If you're not taking care of yourself, you deplete your own energy. Further, you usually don't enjoy your life as much anymore.
How to Take Time for Yourself
It's not always easy to set aside "me" time, particularly if you're used to always giving. But here are some tips that can help:
1. Look at "me" time as a priority. Schedule it into your day like you do eating, sleeping, and working. (I call it often a VIP Meeting)
2. Make a list of various things you'd enjoy doing during "your" time and refer to it whenever you have a free moment. If you have difficulties to come up with something to do during your "me" time, start to write down activities that you always wanted to do when you have time, fold the little paper and put it in a bowl. Each time, when you have some "me" time, you can pull a paper and enjoy the activity that is written on the paper.
3. Trim your schedule of activities you don't find fulfilling, along with people who drain your energy. Use the time you'd spend on them for yourself.
4. You don't have to be perfect! If you've been spending loads of time preparing elaborate dinner parties or baking for your children's school bake sale, relax. Order a pizza next time you have friends over, and pick up some cookies from a local bakery for your children. That will give you instant "me" time.
5. Make it a routine. It takes about three to six weeks to make something a habit, so commit to your scheduled "me" time for that long, and it should become second nature.
So, when are you going to schedule your next "me" time?
Please share stories of exeptional people (maybe even your own success story) with my Readers! I would love to publish them on my Blog!
http://nymannewsletter.blogspot.com/
Helena Nyman, Certified Success/Life Coach and Executive Coach, Motivational Speaker and Author. Helena grew up in Switzerland where she worked with World and Olympic athletes and moved in 1994 to Canada where she worked with top athletes in the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, ON, together with the legendary coach Doug Leigh (former Coach of Elvis Stojko and Brian Orser) and with Louis Stong at the Center of Excellence in Toronto. In 1999, she moved to the USA where she still coaches some figure skaters and hockey players -- a passion and balance she keeps in her life.
To sign up for Helena's weekly Motivational Newsletter, visit: www.HelenaNyman.com , or for her bi-weekly Executive News, visit: www.TheBalancedExecutive.com. To contact Helena by e-mail, write to: Nyman@consultant.com.