It is so important to take time for yourself, but in this ridiculously busy world we live in it can feel really difficult to give yourself the gift of time can’t it?

I think we get too caught up in thinking that to feel the benefits of time for yourself it has to be a long time… thinking that you won’t feel any benefit unless you can take a whole day off or a whole week’s holiday.

Don’t get me wrong, you absolutely do need days off and whole weeks off, but to think that you will only feel better after these extended periods of time for yourself just isn’t true.

It’s time to start changing the way you think about time for yourself, to consider it differently. You can feel calmer and less overwhelmed in a much shorter space of time than you perhaps assume.

You may know that I’m all about baby steps and small changes.

Well, the same applies here.

I believe that mere moments of time for yourself can be beneficial, because if you remember to include them in your day they can provide a brief respite from the busyness, and a quick recharge shot before you carry on. 

So take a breather.

Take a moment to recalibrate.

Take a few minutes to collect your thoughts.

Go and sit outside with a glass of something for 5 minutes and just observe what’s going on around you. Give your full attention to the garden, the people, the traffic, wherever you are. Park your thoughts and be in the moment.

Sit quietly for a minute or two and breathe deeply. It could be in your bedroom, it could be in a breakout room at work, anywhere that’s quiet. Use the 4 7 8 breathing technique to restore some calm. Breathe in for a count of 4, hold that breath for a count of 7 then breathe out for a count of 8. Repeat a couple of times.

Take a moment first thing in the morning to think about what you’re grateful for, come up with at least 3 things. Then think about how you’d like your day to go, or how you want to feel when doing something specific. Write it down in a journal.

These are all opportunities to take time for yourself.

Moments of stillness punctuating a busy day.

If you know you need to take a few minutes of time for yourself every day, but find it hard, download my FREE Simple Daily Journal Sheet – a short collection of journaling prompts that you can complete either digitally or with a pen and paper. The mood you take with you into your day has a big impact on how your day pans out. Using this journal sheet morning and evening will set you up to have a good day and help you find a sense of contentment by bedtime. You can get it here.

Good days add up and become a life you love.

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