Spending quality time alone is a high-level self-care practice that is missing from many of our routines. If you can create an intention around this one element of self-care, it will change your life.
Think about it. How often have you considered doing something you’d like to do but convinced yourself that you don’t have time for it? How often does a week pass by and you feel like you didn’t have a minute to yourself?
This is a typical scenario these days.
The problem is that not making enough alone time for yourself can contribute to chronic stress and depression. According to an article in
Psychology Today, “ People who don’t get the solitude they crave feel more stressed and depressed.”
While you may be busy, and your to-do list is probably overwhelming, you must make yourself a priority.
Kids, jobs, chores, stress, Covid, bills to pay, cooking, cleaning, and everything else we have to do is a lot. But, without this type of self-care, we will burn out quickly, and then what happens to all those responsibilities? When you neglect your own personal needs and mental health, ultimately everyone and everything in your life suffer.
Everyone needs personal alone time.
Time to unwind.
Time to breathe.
Time to have fun and experience joy.
Time to rest and reset.
Time to explore hobbies and interests.
Finding time to focus on this type of self-care may be challenging, especially when job and family life are demanding but this is something we must do, even if it is only 30 minutes here and there. If not, burnout may start knocking on your door.
Don’t worry. I have a few strategies for you to explore.
6 Ways To Get More Quality Time Alone
Prioritize
Prioritize, first and foremost. A well-organized plan will put your mind at ease and lead to a more productive week. Scheduling time ahead may be an excellent way to guarantee you don’t scrimp on that all-important self-care time. You can also see where you can squeeze it in (which can help ensure you take it). If you’re new at this, try scheduling alone time in your calendar. This sends a message to your brain that says this is important. I need to do this and the laundry.
Practice Saying No A lot
This is going to challenge many of you because it goes against the grain of wanting to please everybody. Deep inside we want everyone to love us and think that we are amazing. That is flawed thinking and it is humanly impossible. You can start to break away from that mindset by realizing that it is quite acceptable to say no. Your time is very valuable, and it should be spent on activities that provide meaning to your life. It’s okay if you don’t want to go to that lunch with the other stay-at-home moms or your complaining co-workers. If it will have a negative impact on you, you can say no, or not today. It’s completely fine if you decide to go for walk in the park or enjoy your lunch on the park bench catching up on that thrilling novel you just started.
Switch It Off
Take a break from your phone and computer. How many times do you get an afternoon to yourself, only to waste it replying to e-mails or reading Instagram? Social media has its advantages, but it can also entice us to spend an hour looking at useless memes. It can get you quickly caught up in other people’s worlds while ignoring your own. Limiting distractions is a huge strategy in finding quality time for yourself.
Timely Departure From Work
When you need some alone time, this might be one of the easiest things you can do. Do you have to work late? Working late may look good to others, but is it necessary? Instead, could you be more efficient at work during regular hours and let your hard work speak for itself? If this is the case for you, try to be more efficient and leave work on time or if at all possible, a little early at least once a week. Then take advantage of that time by engaging in your favorite pastime, getting a massage, meditating, spending time with a good book, or doing what helps you relax.
Learn To Delegate
Learning the fine art of delegating is a game-changer for the super ambitious. The truth is that there is usually someone who could do many of the things that you do way better than you and maybe even cheaper. Do you struggle with perfectionism or ego-mania thinking that no one can do it better than you? If so, take an inventory of the tasks that you:
- Don’t enjoy
- Aren’t that great at
- Take too much time and energy
Once you have your list, start delegating these tasks to someone else and go take a nap. You don’t have to play the role of the burnt-out superhero, drop that ego and let someone help you.
Take an Occasional Mental Health Day
Play hooky for the day. Take a whole day off and do whatever you want to do. I discovered this trick years ago when I had a very demanding corporate job. It’s called a sick day for a reason. Why not take a day to renew yourself and boost your mental health. This is therapeutic for many reasons. One reason is that it allows you to “be bad” for a day. That’s right, instead of “doing the right thing” every darn day. Do something fun for yourself and by yourself. You will be amazed at how rejuvenated you will feel.
Making time for yourself can be very challenging in our busy world of deadlines and to-do lists. However, not figuring this piece out can cause an unhealthy imbalance. Your body, mind, and spirit crave balance. Prolonged imbalances in your life can cause many problems that can wreak havoc on your health and mental wellbeing. Downtime helps you create balance. You balance out all that frantic activity with calm soothing activities that you can do alone. This gives you an opportunity to explore creativity, learn about yourself, build mental strength, and plan for that glorious future that awaits you. Ultimately, spending quality time with yourself can help you become the best version of yourself.
Be well + prosper,
Elaine xx
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