Women are the consummate jugglers. We raise families, work full-time jobs or run successful businesses, take care of our homes, volunteer, act as chauffeur, are caregivers when someone is sick and, more frequently, assume the responsibility for aging parents. In short, it may feel like we’re on the go 24/7. It’s exhausting and dangerous. While you’re taking care of everyone else, the one person who needs the most care is ignored – you.
If you’ve flown on a plane before, you’ve heard the standard flight attendant advice about placing oxygen masks when traveling with small children – adults should put theirs on first. While great advice, it flies in the face of what most women do on a daily basis. You breathe life into so many other people and things that it’s easy to forget or ignore the fact that you need to be restored, too. Because if you become drained by all of your responsibilities, you’ll eventually not have anything left to give. Being drained can manifest as illness, fatigue or resentment. When this happens, you’re not a lot of use anywhere or to anyone.
But how do you take time out when you’re needed in so many places and by so many people? That is the million dollar question, isn’t it? It may not be feasible for you to escape to a luxurious spa for a week, but is it possible for you to take 15 minutes to an hour to pamper yourself without the blaring of phones, dinging of emails or the plaintive cries of “Mom!” in the background? If you’re stuck for ideas, here are some to get your mind into gear. (Come on, stop thinking about everything else for a moment, and consider how taking even a 15-minute break could help you begin to reconnect to your needs, reduce your stress level and give you a few minutes of peace. Just 15 minutes can make a difference.
- Take a walk in your neighborhood
- Take a drive
- Make a cup of your favorite drink, put your feet up and sip slowly
- Listen to music
- Dance around the house (or in your office)
- Sing!
- Do some simple stretching exercises to loosen up tight muscles
- Read a book
- Make your favorite dish (just for you!)
- Sit in the sunshine
- Ride a bike
- Rollerblade
- Play with your dog or cat
- Call an old friend and catch up
- Take a bubble bath
- Go to the driving range and hit a bucket of balls (no, you don’t have to be a golfer to do
- this)
- Have a meal with a friend
- Build a snowman (obviously, you need to be in the right climate at the right time of year for this!)
- Window shop (not shop for windows)
- Reacquaint yourself with a favorite hobby
- Pray
- Journal about all the things you’re grateful for
- Weed your garden
- Buy some flowers
What creative ways can you spend 15 to 60 minutes just for YOU?
