How To Take Time For Yourself

I am writing this post as much for you as I am for me.  I am horrible at taking time for myself, and am continuously running myself down because of it.  Since I am seeing a therapist to help me deal with many of the emotional aspect's of a chronic illness, this is one of the biggest topics we discuss.

One thing I do to be sure I take time for myself is to literally schedule time for myself.  If I mark that on Saturday from 3 to 4 pm I am going to leave open to focus on me, I am more apt to do so.  I seem to live and die by my calendar.  If a time is allocated, I will not schedule something else.  Though if a time is open, I most likely will.  The key to scheduling time for myself is to schedule it far in advance so that I keep from scheduling another task in its place.

Another way I have been able to take more time for myself is to view me time as a medication.  Without time for myself I get run down.  When I'm run down two things happen.  First I eat worse.  I don't have the energy to make myself something that works with my body, so I end up eating a candy bar, soft pretzel, or fast food.  None of which agree with my stomach.  The second is when I am run down I get sick faster.  My body doesn't have the reserves to fight any infections or fight against me fighting myself.  The more tired I get, the more I flare.  So it is vital that I take time for myself.  If I see me time as a medicine, I am less likely to see it as me being lazy.

The best thing I have done to help me take time for myself is find something I am interested in that I can do while relaxing.  For me this can be anything from listening to music to cake decorating.  I can sit on my fanny, let my mind wonder, and take comfort in knowing there is nowhere else I have to be.  I am able to lose track of time instead of watching the minutes tick past.

I have found writing this post helpful in reminding me how important taking time for yourself is.  This has always been one of the biggest barriers keeping me from my best health.  I hope you find this post as helpful for you as I will for me.