I often wonder, when did being busy become so trendy? I mean when did we all get so consumed with everyday life that we just don’t have time for the important stuff anymore? Not just regular, I have to run around and do errands stuff, I mean the REAL important stuff in life. Like spending time with friends, hanging with family on a Tuesday night, taking an art class, slowing down and just being? I’m talking about taking time to really connect with others and not in the virtual kinda way either – like wishing our friends a Happy Birthday on Facebook instead of just picking up the phone and connecting. I know I’m guilty of this one. I used to be that busy person, and to be honest, it’s something that I constantly have to work at. I used to be the proud multitasking perfectionist. But guess what? Last time I checked, they were not giving out awards to those who got the most done in a day. But if they were, I sure would have been a contender. I was filling up every minute of my day with as much as I could, and that kind of stress does a number on your mind and body. So much that my adrenal glands were probably bathing in cortisol (FYI, that’s bad). Taking time for yourself is one of the greatest gifts that we can give ourselves and our loved ones.
One of the key reasons that I started this blog is to inspire you to take time for yourself, especially to create, connect and get grounded. Whether it is making a delicious healthy meal or to immerse in a satisfying DIY project, creating fills the soul. And I don’t know about you, but with everything we have going on in the world today, my soul sure needs filling with the good stuff! So my challenge to you is to try to carve out a little bit of time each day just for you. I know during the holidays this can be a challenge but to be honest, these are the times when you need this the most.
Here are a couple of my tips to get you started. They don’t have to be big huge gains. Remember we are just looking for baby steps.
- Start your day with a new morning ritual that adds value; like writing in a journal or just simply sitting quietly with a cup of coffee. I keep a little book on a table in my family room next to a cozy chair, where every morning I write down five things that I am grateful for. Then, I like to visualize how I want my day to go, really putting out intention on how I would like my day to unfold.
- Don’t pick up your phone first thing in the morning and get buried in social media (OMG! am I guilty of this one). I know this will be a hard one for some, but I assure you this is an important one. Social media can suck your entire day away if you let it, and who wants to start out their day effected by some of the negativity that gets posted daily.
- Be purposeful about carving out time with friends. In a world where we are becoming more and more connected in such an impersonal way with texting, e-mailing etc., we are losing our personal connections with people. It’s really important to spend real quality time with the people in our lives that our important to us.
- Spend each day doing at least one creative thing that brings you joy. It could be as simple as sketching in a journal, making a new recipe, or doing a quick DIY project. Whatever it may be, taking time to create is an important step in becoming more connected to yourself. It’s during the time of creating that we can just let our minds be free of stress and clutter. It’s your time to just be.
So let’s ring in the new year with a commitment to slow down, enjoy life and reconnect. Because we can never be too busy for the important stuff!!
SaveSave
Great ideas and the blog looks great! (Came over from Twin Cities Collective)
Thanks for the feedback Nina. It is definitely a work in progress!
Great ideas, Carla! I checked my phone (email) first thing this morning and immediately felt a wave of anxiety as I tallied up my “to-dos” for the day. It wasn’t until an hour later that I thought, “I shouldn’t have checked my email right away – I should have waited until I got to the office!”
Thanks Julie! I can relate. It has taken a while for me to modify my own behavior in this area.I think it is really about creating new healthy morning rituals that carve out a bit of quite time before the busyness of the day takes over.