It’s okay to prioritise you – Are you investing enough time in yourself?

You can’t be your best self when you’re tired, stressed, run down, burnt out, unfit, bored or unmotivated.

Which is why it’s so important to ensure you’re looking after yourself mentally (managing your thoughts), physically (managing your body), emotionally (managing your feelings), and spiritually (managing your beliefs).

In other words – meditation and mindfulness; exercise, movement and nutrition; experiencing the whole spectrum from happy to sad, angry or excited; and living by personal values.

 Do you ever catch yourself saying “I can’t fit that in, I’ve got no time!”?

Yes, you have! You can make time.

Take a moment to focus on what matters to you, and how important it is to you.

Benefits of taking time for yourself include:

Better friendships and relationships; more motivation to do things; being more productive and creative; having more energy; coping better; an improved immune system; happiness and positivity; feeling good about life; increased capacity to face challenges; ability to support others more effectively.

 You should see this as an investment – the more ‘me-time’ you put into yourself the more you’ll be able to give back out to other people, work, and leisure.

One of the easiest ways to start making more time for yourself is to schedule it into your calendar. Blocking out a few spaces in your diary ensures you won’t feel that you should be doing something else at those times.

There are also some really simple ways to incorporate ‘you-time’ into your daily lifestyle so that it becomes habitual and therefore more beneficial. Examples include:

Using morning and evening routines – have your personal time when you get up or before you go to sleep. Exercise, reading, meditation, etc. are great things to do at these times.

While you’re waiting for the kettle to boil – take a moment to breathe, or just be mindful of what you’re doing.

Multi-task by exercising whilst watching television or take a walk whilst chatting to a friend.

Ensure you have a lunch break and take yourself away from work. You could find a quiet place for reading or reflection, go for a walk, meet friends, listen to music, enjoy some fresh air.

Housework and chores can be great for mindfulness or exercising. Really focus on what you’re doing, however menial the task, to stay in the present moment and just be aware. Or put the radio on and dance whilst you dust and vacuum.

Schedule more family activities so you can all benefit together. You don’t have to pay out a lot of money to play a board game, go on a scavenger adventure in the local park, or draw some pictures together. Crafts, cooking and nature are all great for groups whatever their age.

If you’re not used to making time for yourself yet, take your time and start off slowly. Even 5 minutes a day can be a great start! The length of time will gradually grow as you get used to it and begin to see the benefits. You’ll find you’re taking more time and feeling better.

Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks either. Just tell them you are having this time to yourself. They will appreciate the healthier, nicer, happier, more supportive, capable and productive you in the long run.

It’s okay to prioritise you! Remember that if you aren’t looking after yourself, then you haven’t got a chance of being able to do anything else as well as you’d like to. By valuing your own health and well-being you help everyone else around you.