Me Time!!!

I don’t know about you, but I love ‘Me Time’.

We have our daily routines. Most of us live in a routine and don’t realize it until it’s too late. Stop…Rewind…Play. That is a typical day in a typical life of a typical individual. My advice is to just stop it. Change up your routine and shake it up a little. The good news is, it is not that difficult to do so and will only require minutes out of your day.

Me time doesn’t mean an entire day off at the park. It only requires a few minutes of your day. You need those few minutes to relax and recharge.

As you are reading this, you might be saying to yourself this sounds good, but I just can’t do it. The reality is, you can’t afford to NOT do it. Attempting to do everything at all time can and will take its toll. We all have our limits.

Ironically, you might actually think that taking daily ‘me time’ out of your schedule is a selfish act. The truth is, it can be one of the most generous things you can do. Not just for you, but for those around you, especially your loved ones and the ones who are dependent on you.

Yes, your me time will benefit you and everyone in your life.

Burning out is a very real thing in life. Burning out will affect you physically and mentally, as well as your relationship health. When you are unable to function at full capacity, or feeling unhappy, you will directly negatively effect those around you. You owe it to yourself and to those around you to make daily me time.

Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo, known as America’s most trusted celebrity psychologist, says “Me time is recovery time, it’s recoup time, it’s regeneration time. When you continually do something—even if it’s something you enjoy doing—if you keep doing it and pushing yourself without ever taking a step back, that’s like training for a marathon and running 100 miles a day. You can’t do that. Your body can’t handle it,”

What’s the key take away here? Your daily me time is a must for your physical and mental health. Why you ask, because it will relieve your stress. Based on research in the field of psychoneuroimmunology (the study of the effect of the mind on health and resistance to disease), when we are stressed out, we’re more likely to get sick because our immune system doesn’t function as well, according to Dr. Lombardo.

In addition to relieving stress, your daily me time can:

– Help prevent and relieve chronic pain. Stress is a major cause of aches and pains, including and especially head aches.

– Lead to better overall health.

– Prevent negative thinking. When our stress levels are increased, we tend to think in more negative ways. Negative energy is very contagious.

– Lead to better night time sleep. There is no questioning the affects of stress to your ability to sleep through the night.

This is just a short list of positive results you gain from your daily me time. Truly, this is a must do to change your life for the better. Like anything else you do, you won’t see results over night, but the short term and long term positive results of your daily me time are undeniable.

Another quote from Dr. Lombardo that just makes so much sense, “When we have that time to ourselves, we can be close to our true self, and that true self is the person who has less stress, is compassionate and loving. When you are your true self, you are a lot more fun to be with, you are a lot more forgiving.”

Now the fun part, what can you do for me time?

– Unplug. Literally, unplug and press the power buttons off. At the minimum, mute. Ban all electronics, social media, email and phone calls. In it’s stead, read a book or magazine, go for a walk, stare out the window and daydream.

– Take yourself out to lunch. It’s OK to indulge yourself to a nice sit-down restaurant or you favorite local cafe.

– Take a nap. When was the last time you took a nice power nap in the middle of the day?

– Start a journal. Write down your feelings, stresses, ideas, dreams or just anything you have in mind. There doesn’t have to be daily entries, it can be sporadic.

– Do you have an old hobby that you have neglected? If not, make one. What do you love to do for fun?

– Spare an hour or two once a week and take a class. What is something you always wanted to learn? Cooking, ballroom dancing, new language, weaving, learn how to dougie (you read that right) etc etc etc.

– What I think is the best daily me time, exercise. Go for an outside walk or run, hit the gym than follow it up with a sauna or hut tub. Your health is a priority, so find the time and make it happen.

The possibilities are endless. You don’t need a doctor or an expert to give you ideas of what to do. You know what you would love to do but have convinced yourself that you just don’t have the time to do it. That thinking must come to a stop. Now!

THE KEY IS TO TREAT YOURSELF WELL DAY TO DAY – EAT WELL, KEEP YOURSELF FIT, TREAT YOURSELF NOW AND THEN, AND SIMPLY ENJOY LIFE!

Your marching orders for today is to promise yourself that you will take that daily me time. No more excuses. Do not forget, this is to your benefit as well as those around you. If you burn out, you will be no good to yourself or your family. Your work performance will sharply decline and you can imagine the domino effect from there.

Trust yourself. Forgive yourself. Love yourself. Always, always, always think positive. Positive energy is the best kind of contagious energy.

Here are some pictures and videos of a half day of ‘Me Time’. My awesome sister Sonia Maaliki treated me that day to this amazing hike in Adams Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Iyad Y Allis