I am a busy body. I need to keep myself occupied, or I have a tendency to nap or day dream or worse, let my anxiety run rampant in my head. So, I stay busy and I purposely put a lot on my plate. However, from time to time it is still necessary to make myself slow down. I’ve found that by making appointments for me, even if its just writing in my planner that for this 45 minutes I am dedicating time to read, I’ll do it. If its not written down, I’m much more likely to curl up with my dogs and shnuggle instead.
I also find it helpful to have recurring appointments for bigger “me” times. I love my nails, and before I had my recurring appointment, I found it much more difficult to find time to get them done. I worked it out with my nail artist that I now have a standing appointment every four weeks on the same day at the same time. I know this is my time to go and pamper my hands, I even silence my phone! I made the decision that this hour and a half once a month was important to me, so I MAKE the time for it.
Just like people make time for their routine health, dental, and eye doctor appointments, we need to start making time for our mental and personal well-being too! As I mentioned, I am a planner person – I still carry a paper planner in my purse that I write everything down in. If its not on there, it doesn’t exist. Using this, I am starting to devote more time to do the things that I love to do, but otherwise don’t necessarily take the time to do (example: reading because I like it, not for school or work). Be sure to make time for you, because you deserve it!