We all lead busy lives. The typical woman runs around performing several jobs - we all have to be some combination of worker, carer, mother, PA for the men in our lives, housekeeper, organising guru, friend, lover, sister, child. You may not be all of those things but I'm guessing that there are very few women who put themselves into only one or two categories.
I don't know many women in this country today who doesn't have too much on her plate: we all take on far more than we should and it often seems that the pace of life is just far too frantic.
Time is a gift, but we only seem to give that time to others, and it's not one that we ever seem to be able to give to ourselves.
For some, we spend all our time on careers, often bringing work home - I have friends who start work again after their children have gone to bed, and women without children are often even worse. For others, their children take up every waking moment, some are carers to elderly relatives, some try to combine the entire lot.
We then heap on added pressure - must get to the gym 5 times a week, must attend after school clubs, must run community committees. The list is never-ending, and that's before we consider a girl's night out or time spend simply enjoying life.
I know that there will be comments to the above - I know some of us totally love organising village fund raisers, for example, and that's brilliant - I'm just illustrating the point that there are a whole load of tasks on the plate which edge out any kind of down-time or especially me-time.
Time for you sounds like such a simple concept. Can't we all find that? but on the other hand its so difficult to achieve and to some it sounds so self-serving, when really it should be something built into every day - inevitable, even.
However wonderful our family, friends and co-workers may be, nothing substitutes for that time to gather your thoughts, be your own person and to recharge your brain. There is much to be said for knowing that you exist outside your other commitments.
How do we do this?
It doesn't need to be a week's solitary retreat in the Maldives (although that would be nice!), in fact a little time each day or each week is better. You can't unwind 3 months-worth of stress in a week's holiday.
At some point each day, our brains need time to rest, recharge, unwind, put some of our stress behind us so that we're better able to cope with whatever life throws at us next. Make it a policy that you get yours.
In my case I try to keep Sundays free for whatever I want to do - there's no set pattern. Sometimes I just drift. It maybe a ride my bike, gardening, cooking or just chilling out with a good book. I also try to build in a little time for meditation, contemplation or just sitting still. Quite a lot of time is spent writing blog posts like this one!
It sort of doesn't matter what the activity is as long as it's something you find enjoyable, can do with ease and can switch off, let your mind drift and daydream.
Mark Sisson talks about the Power of Daydreaming in his blog post here. It's incredibly beneficial on brain health.
It's amazing what comes out of these times: great ideas, clearer thinking, a fresh perspective and often, renewed appreciation for everything I value most dear. By taking myself away mentally for a few hours I'm better able to enjoy the glorious chaos of the rest of my life, and anything which helps me do that is a godsend.
I don't know many women in this country today who doesn't have too much on her plate: we all take on far more than we should and it often seems that the pace of life is just far too frantic.
Time is a gift, but we only seem to give that time to others, and it's not one that we ever seem to be able to give to ourselves.
For some, we spend all our time on careers, often bringing work home - I have friends who start work again after their children have gone to bed, and women without children are often even worse. For others, their children take up every waking moment, some are carers to elderly relatives, some try to combine the entire lot. We then heap on added pressure - must get to the gym 5 times a week, must attend after school clubs, must run community committees. The list is never-ending, and that's before we consider a girl's night out or time spend simply enjoying life.
I know that there will be comments to the above - I know some of us totally love organising village fund raisers, for example, and that's brilliant - I'm just illustrating the point that there are a whole load of tasks on the plate which edge out any kind of down-time or especially me-time.
We absolutely MUST find time for ourselves.
Time for you sounds like such a simple concept. Can't we all find that? but on the other hand its so difficult to achieve and to some it sounds so self-serving, when really it should be something built into every day - inevitable, even.
However wonderful our family, friends and co-workers may be, nothing substitutes for that time to gather your thoughts, be your own person and to recharge your brain. There is much to be said for knowing that you exist outside your other commitments.
How do we do this?
It doesn't need to be a week's solitary retreat in the Maldives (although that would be nice!), in fact a little time each day or each week is better. You can't unwind 3 months-worth of stress in a week's holiday.
At some point each day, our brains need time to rest, recharge, unwind, put some of our stress behind us so that we're better able to cope with whatever life throws at us next. Make it a policy that you get yours.
In my case I try to keep Sundays free for whatever I want to do - there's no set pattern. Sometimes I just drift. It maybe a ride my bike, gardening, cooking or just chilling out with a good book. I also try to build in a little time for meditation, contemplation or just sitting still. Quite a lot of time is spent writing blog posts like this one!
It sort of doesn't matter what the activity is as long as it's something you find enjoyable, can do with ease and can switch off, let your mind drift and daydream.
Mark Sisson talks about the Power of Daydreaming in his blog post here. It's incredibly beneficial on brain health.
It's amazing what comes out of these times: great ideas, clearer thinking, a fresh perspective and often, renewed appreciation for everything I value most dear. By taking myself away mentally for a few hours I'm better able to enjoy the glorious chaos of the rest of my life, and anything which helps me do that is a godsend.
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