Hey Ya’ll! So I’ve been thinking about this whole wellness for the mind and body/ vegan challenge I did this last month and I realized that I am so bad about giving myself time to just be and allowing myself some me-time! I am always on the go and trying to get so many things done all at the same time! My friends and my husband call me the “Energizer Bunny,” and while I am glad that I can get and strive to get so many things done all at the same time, it is exhausting! I can’t even begin to imagine what life will be like when Dave and I throw a little one into the picture. For all you moms out there… you are a super hero! Literally, a super hero! I see my friends who have babies and I think, “how the heck were you able to get all of your work done, get dinner on the table, do the laundry (cuz ya know your son/ daughter just went through their last pair of onesies?, workout?!, and have time to hang out with your hubby and the baby?” But the thing that I am finding in myself and them, is we’re exhausted!!! We are doing and doing so much, yet we rarely find times to enjoy moments alone or have some “me-time”.
(Love this pic from Pishposh Baby.)
Because my life is so fast and crazy, I have to schedule out times to hang with friends and sometimes the hubby… that sounds really bad but let me explain. So I can get together with friends and watch a show and just be, it can be really casual, and we need those times with our girls, Amen?! But, I mean setting aside time to invest in my friendships, scheduling one on one times! I am not the best at this and I wish I was better, but I am working on it and hoping that within this year I will see some improvements. So, when i say scheduling out times, I mean scheduling a dinner date with your hubby or special outing, where there is no-one else getting our attention- no cell phones distracting us from being with each other! If you read my post “Loving the Best Way,” you will have read that Dave is a quality time kind of person. Not that I don’t enjoy that as well, but for Dave it is super important to spend “quality time” together and that means we are spending time with each other conversing, and our priority is each other and growing our relationship. Or maybe scheduling a lunch or coffee date with one of your best friends and making sure that they know your attention is on them, not the list of to-do items, or making it a picturesque moment to put on Instagram. I’m not saying its bad to put up some pics showing the fun that you’ve had, but don’t make it all about social media, take a quick pic and put your phone up… make it about you and your friend, investing in each other, investing in your friendship!
The funny thing is that I schedule times out for so many things in life and for special outings with the hubby and coffee dates with the best friends, yet I don’t do this for myself. Why?! I know I’m probably like a lot of other people in thinking that I want to be there for everyone else, and/or help everyone else all the time! Maybe your a mom and you feel like you have so much to do and so little time… I get it, I understand! While these things may be true and you find yourself making excuses for why you can’t do something for yourself, you neglect another truth- “You can’t help others when you are completely exhausted!” Yes, but it is a hard realization to have! If you are completely exhausted, then things will probably take you twice as long to do, you will be less efficient and you may not be the nicest person either. This is a realization that I am coming to more and more as I get older. My patience is affected, my personality is affected, my energy is affected… should I go on?! You deserve some you time!!! I deserve some me-time!
So how will we get it?
Well this last month, I set aside a couple things I could do each night to make myself feel more relaxed, give myself a chance to gain more energy and to simply have some wellness of the body and mind. Since it’s summer, I have a lot more free time than during the school year. Here is a typical day during the school year in the life of Erin Ross:
A Typical Day during the school year
6-4:40am – Wake up, drink coffee, get ready, Devotions- Time varies based on what I have to do in the morning.
7:30am- Get to school
7:40- Begin teaching my before school orchestra
7:40-12 and 1-2:45 Teach Orchestra
3:30-3:40- Leave the school
4 or 4:30- Begin lessons at home (usually 1-3 hours)
6 or 7pm- Head to Orchestra rehearsals (if i have them)
9:30-10:30 Head back home from Orchestra rehearsals
I easily work 16-18 hour days… Yikes!!!
So how will I do it during the school year?!!! I am determined to have some down time for my brain and some “me-time,” so I am going to be scheduling times throughout the week for myself! Maybe it won’t be every day or every other day, but I will make sure to have this time for myself to help energize my body and brain and to help me be a better Erin! Want some “me-time” ideas? Check out my post “Wellness for the body and mind”. here
Here’s your challenge… Here are some steps to take when scheduling some time for yourself, whether you’re new to this or you are really established:
Steps:
- Write down things you love to do that will help you relax and can be solely about you.
- Schedule out some evenings or at least 15-30 min of time for yourself everyday or every other day (depending upon how much time you want to spend or need). If you want to do something bigger than a bath, etc… then think about what you will need for the “you time” to be successful.
- Put a reminder on your phone or in your planner and make sure you take that time for yourself. (Even if you don’t have the opportunity to do what you planned, do something or put it on another night)
- Enjoy the time you get- try to not think about anything else, but allowing yourself to relax and enjoy your “you time.”
You deserve some “me-time” too! Yes, moms.. i’m talking to you! Yes, hard working determined career girls/ boss girls- I’m talking to you! Yes, student… I’m talking to you! Start scheduling times for yourself daily or weekly… give yourself a special desert, or your favorite coffee drink, or maybe soaking in an amazing bubble bath is your cup of tea. Maybe you love yoga or working out and you want that to be your “me time,” or reading a great book, or given/getting yourself a facial or manicure/ pedicure… Whatever it is… Do it! Take the Challenge… You will feel so much better about yourself, your job, your kids, your husband… everything!
Challenge Accepted!
Yes yes and yes to ALL of this! I am definitely going to be taking this challenge and get in a good “me time” groove before school starts back up again. Your schedule is insane during the school year!! Maybe you and I can be “me time” accountability buddies once school starts back up, because looking at your schedule reminded me just how busy the days get, especially in September and October.
Like you said, I also find it very important to schedule time with friends and dates with my husband. It sounds bad, but time just moves and if it is not planned in advance, I end up filling that time with things that I feel need to get done and that I feel are “productive.” While I fill out a planner and have good intentions for scheduling me time at the beginning of the week, I need to get better at looking at my planner throughout the week and sticking to those times, or adjusting them if I need to! I think that when I schedule these times, I also need to commit to them in the moment. Do you ever feel like during time you’re taking for yourself that your mind is going all over the place with things you know you have to do? Sometimes I say to myself, “okay, when I get this stuff done, then I will relax and take time for me.” But the truth is…there are ALWAYS things to get done. There are always things we could be doing, especially once school starts. I need to get better at committing to that time and being mindful and present so I actually enjoy it! Your post definitely made me reflect a lot on how I spend my own me time! Thank you for being so open and honest about this topic!! I connected with SO many things that you shared!
Yes, I am so glad that you are taking on the challenge with me! And yes, I would love for us to be accountability partners in this.. making sure we actually take some times for ourselves! I get so busy and I will have to make sure I plan this out… sounds so silly to have to write in my planner, but that is how things get done! I make lists and lists and then I can check items off! I also have many times where I am trying to have some me-time and I do think about all the things I have to do, but I am going to try and tell myself… there is no deadline.. it is all what I make up and i can get it done later. I always think it is like the end of the world if i didn’t complete something, but why?!!! It will be there waiting the next day and no one died! lol! I love looking back at what worked last year and what I could fix… I will definitely be doing this for myself this year! Last year was a dreaded school year and I put so much pressure on myself and I was stressed so much! I don’t want to let myself get to that point this year… I don’t want to let myself not have my own time to reflect, relax and rejuvenate! Thanks again for reading and commenting… I love seeing your comments! And we will have to keep each other accountable as school comes back!
LOVE this! My “me-time” has completely gone out the window the past couple weeks. In fact, I feel like time itself has just flown out the window but I need to get back on top of it. I LIVE off of my to-do list and planner, so I’m glad you mentioned that. 🙂 I’ll definitely be planning some me-time. Thanks for the encouragement!
Sydney! Thanks for reading and commenting! So glad that this post could relate to you too! I bet you have definitely not had much time for yourself after the move and getting your sweet puppy! But yes, you should definitely find some time, maybe this week that you can do something just for yourself and allow yourself to relax! I am such a planner too and while it sounds weird to put this stuff down in my calendar, I place everything else in it and I do it… why not place something in it about my own time, my “me time”! Can’t wait to hear what you did to relax and to see more pics of your sweet puppy!
Hi Erin, i really like this post. Its so important to have some free time to yourself and you work so hard! You must be wrecked. Good on you though for juggling it all, kids will be a walk in the park for u haha!
Ciara, thanks so much for reading and commenting… I am a little crazy and work a little too much! But, thanks for saying that about kids. I have actually been really worried about having kids and you saying that to me really means a lot! I loved your post about relaxing and the suggestions you gave… so good!