No doubt, making time for yourself needs to be a priority. However, in the hustle and bustle of demands, we usually put ourselves last and defer to the needs of others. Often, we continue this hectic pace until we reach a stress threshold. We can be exhausted, frazzled, or worse yet, get sick. In this article, will learn how to make time for yourself when you are busy by prioritizing your time.
Five Tips to Make Time For Yourself When You Are Busy
Life is busy. There seems to be no lack of activities or stuff that needs to be done. We can leap tall buildings in a single bound. We find the time to do all sorts of things. British Scholar C. Northcote Parkinson pointed this out in Parkinson’s Law. It states that if we portion out time to do something, we usually keep at the task for the entire allotted time and even more. We know how to accomplish what we set out to do. We make time for what we find essential. But when it comes to allotting time for self-care, we tend not to prioritize our well-being.
Prioritizing is determining what is important to you. If you value your well-being, you take time for yourself despite the onslaught of demands and activities. We can be busy and gain more control of our intentional self-care by applying tips.
1. Take Five Minutes
We often think that taking time for ourselves requires at least an hour, which is more than we can afford. Shift your perspective from needing to take larger intervals to do self-care to chunking it down to five-minute spurts. For example, if you want to get more physical activity and cannot get to the gym, park your car a reasonable distance and walk for five minutes. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Take five minutes to center yourself and get out of the frantic pace by talking to a trusted friend. Intentionally remove yourself from the fray of busyness by taking five minutes to stop, reflect, stare out a window and find calm. You can lay down for five minutes, set the alarm, and settle your mind.
2. Carve out Time to Meditate
Meditation serves as prevention of stress. We become more aware of the bodily sensations that cue us to stress levels. We recognize the space in the day to listen to some of the wisdom we receive. We also react less and respond more. Meditation will help you slow down and see your to-do list with clarity to prioritize better.
Meditation need not be done in a lotus position for an extended period. There are plenty of applications with five-or ten-minute guided meditations. The guide will quietly bring you to experience calm within a few minutes.
You can also try a walking meditation where you are able to detach from the daily grind and enjoy the outdoors. Early morning walking meditation can be very nourishing, experiencing the first day’s light.
Yoga Nidra can take 15 minutes or longer. It is a guided deep relaxation meditation that will assist you in identifying what it feels like to be extremely calm. Like progressive relaxation, you will lie down and be guided around your body while lying still. You can find many Yoga Nidra meditation recordings on YouTube.
3. Breathing Breaks
When stressed, we tend to only breathe into our chests and have incomplete breaths. Your inhale needs to extend to your belly for your body to oxygenate effectively. Dynamic Life Coach, Susan Waldenstrom, recommends inhaling and expanding your stomach with your inhalation and keeping it extended while exhaling. A few rounds of deep belly breathing can bring you to calm, quiet, and centered.
Susan suggests three breathing breaks throughout your day. While you are still in bed, do a morning assessment of your body and inhale deeply, visualizing the breath traveling to your toes. On the exhale, imagine the air traveling back up into your head. You can also add a daily prayer or intention of adding kindness to your day to those you meet.
A second breathing break can happen anytime you transition, like waiting at a grocery checkout, walking to your car, or grabbing a meal. Just stop and breathe in deeply. You may want to remember your prayer or intention here as well.
Bedtime is the perfect time to seal your day with intentional self-blessing by breathing. End your day with belly breathing recalling all you are grateful for.
4. Be Mindful
Being in the moment is about pausing to pay attention without judgment or chatter. We are aware of what we are doing while being still and present. Decide to be mindful; get in the moment when you feel frazzled. Stop and reflect quietly; where are you? How do you feel at this moment? How does the air feel on your skin?
Mindfulness and meditation, and breathing techniques are studied tools that are excellent stress reducers. When we are stressed, we get overwhelmed and anxious. You get to decide to be busy and calm. You have the tools and the five minutes.
5. Add a daily routine
So you are busy, and adding another thing may feel like it’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Adding daily routines is empowering and confidence-building. It can be as simple as making your bed and writing a few words in your gratitude journal. You can do a five-minute meditation and prayer or intention daily. Committing to a routine will give you the edge each day to have less stress, better time management, improve your prioritizing, and increase your confidence.
No doubt, making time for yourself needs to be a priority. However, in the hustle and bustle of demands, we put ourselves last and defer to the needs of others. Often, we continue this hectic pace until we reach a stress threshold. We can be exhausted, frazzled, or worse yet, get sick. This article discusses how to make time for yourself when you are busy by prioritizing your time.
Susan Waldenstrom, Professional Massage Therapist, and Dynamic Life Coach, contributed to this article. You can reach Susan here: Susan@stillwatercalmcare.com
xoxo,
