You're struggling to find time for yourself. How can you carve out a little "me" time in your busy schedule?

We never FIND the time. We need to MAKE the time intentionally and deliberately. Whether that means taking some time in the morning before your busy day begins, taking short breaks between activities, taking time at the end of your day and ideally, throughout the day. Making time for yourself is a way to stay mentally, emotionally, physically healthy, along with staying grounded and centered.

The first step to finding time for yourself is to assess your priorities and see where you can make some adjustments. What are the most important and urgent tasks that you have to do each day? What are the things that you can delegate, outsource, or eliminate? What are the activities that bring you joy, satisfaction, and relaxation? Make a list of these categories and rank them according to your values and goals. Then, look for ways to reduce or eliminate the low-priority items and make room for the high-priority ones.

Look, without YOU there is nothing! No matter how stressed you are, or how much work needs doing, or deadlines, if you burn out or get ill, NOTHING gets done! That should be a strong enough "WHY" to build breaks in the day. Get away from the screen at lunchtime, and if you can find some grass. Kick off your shoes and socks and ground! You will instantly feel better. YOU are not a robot! You need a balance of work, rest and fun. Yes, if there is a big project with a deadline, the pressure is on, but even still you will be more productive with breaks built into your day. What is the alternative. Stress, overload and too much pressure! Even when you finish work, your maybe too tired to enjoy much else. That is not right!! What is your WHY!

Instead of stressing over not having time for yourself, perhaps try to reframe and think of perhaps those 10-15 minutes as time that will make you more productive at work, a better parent, better partner, better friend? I love this quote "if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

As a Jungian Psychologist, I find it important to identify the narrative surrounding self care & inability to access resources within ourselves. Taking a line from Marion Woodman's book- Coming Home to Myself, " Can I really believe I am worth an hour a day? Am I, who have given my life to others, selfish enough to take one hour a day to find myself?".

Busy? Schedule Your Sanity! Drowning in deadlines? Feeling drained? Don't wait for burnout! Schedule "me" time like any important meeting. Even 10 minutes of daily meditation or a relaxing evening walk can recharge you. Sprinkle self-care throughout your day. Take deep breaths during commutes, listen to calming music while doing chores, or savour healthy snacks mindfully. Every mini-moment adds up! Find activities that truly energize you. Whether it's reading, hobbies, or simply spending time in nature, prioritize what sparks joy. Remember, even small changes can make a big difference. Prioritize your well-being, discover what works for you, and reclaim your sanity!

Even for those who are not early risers, a morning routine can be created in the busiest of schedules. Depending on your energy levels in the early morning, schedule time for a calming meditation, a quiet cup of tea without a screen, time for journaling or reading a few pages of a good book. If you feel like it, get outside for a walk or even schedule some exercise and enjoy movement to set yourself up for a healthy, calm and resilient day.

Donnez vous des rendez vous avec vous-même, comme vous le feriez avec vos obligations professionnelles et familiales. Pour cela, planifiez des temps dans la journée /semaine qui vous permettront de vous ressourcer et prendre soin de vous. Commencez petit pas par petit pas pour que l'habitude s'ancre, puis instaurez des temps plus longs selon vos besoins/envies. Ne culpabilisez pas de prendre ce temps pour vous, il est essentiel pour votre bien-être mental et physique et fait partie de cet équilibre si précieux

Taking care of yourself is not selfish, NOT taking care of yourself is selfish. Because when you don’t take cate of yourself and you don’t fill your own cup first, and nurture yourself first, you can’t nurture your other relationships with full energy and that is selfish. I believe that realizing that self care and me-time is not selfish but essential to perform your best and be the best help to your colleagues, friends, family, loved ones! Mornings and evenings are best for this! Starting your day with doing a few things that you love to do and make you feel great! Walks, a good savory breakfast, hydrating, yoga, breathwork, reading, journaling. Find what you love to do, and wake up a bit earlier to do it!

A simple way of ME time is also being grateful for how the day has turned out for you. Reflecting , Struggling , deriving out of your own actions through the day. 5 min meditation to cleanse all the negativity that you have absorbed during the day is also a part of ME time

This is hard to remember sometimes because we think of “me time” as “rest” or “relaxation.” Cooking with super fresh ingredients is a great way to decompress for me. But it horrifies many people I know - who want to know when I’m going to take time for “me.” You get to define your “me” time. If that’s cooking, or running 5 miles - it counts. I try to think of it as “bucket filling” time instead of “me” time.

Select activities that genuinely rejuvenate and fulfill you, whether it's reading, exercising, meditating, or simply doing nothing. The goal is to engage in pursuits that refresh your energy and bring you joy, contributing to your overall well-being.

'Me time' doesn't always have to be an activity. It could also be just sitting idle for sometime or just enjoying a cup of tea/coffee/hot chocolate etc. It's about spending time doing anything that you do for your enjoyment and pleasure!

I agree, it is so important to learn to say NO. You should say no to commitments or requests that encroach on your personal time. Establish clear boundaries with others and communicate your need for uninterrupted "me" time. Express your needs directly and honestly, without apologizing or feeling guilty. For example, you might say, "I need some time to myself in the evenings to recharge, so I won't be available for work-related calls or emails after 7 p.m." And remind that consistency is key to maintaining boundaries. Once you've established your boundaries, stick to them as much as possible. Consistent enforcement reinforces the message that your time and needs are important.

Taking time for yourself doesn't make you selfish. Consider a mother of two who locks herself in a room for half an hour to enjoy a hot tea and a piece of candy. She's not selfish; she's practicing self-care, which makes her a better mother. When mom takes time to rest, the entire family benefits. And this applies to areas of life

A lot of times I've seen clients going the complete opposite direction, from no 'me time' to being completely obsessed with one. Being obsessed with it will only increase the stress and then it becomes a task and not an enjoyable time any longer. It is important to strike a balance. Some days it may not be possible to get a 'me time' and that's okay too. The earliest available time when you can take it is good enough. Just spend some extra time there to de-stress yourself completely.

Once you've set aside time for yourself, make a plan B and a plan C if things change. This will allow you to be flexible and adapt to change.

With my patients, most of whom are moms, I ask them the “what”before the “when”. What are your recharge needs? It could be anything from prioritizing texting with close friends, spending time alone in nature, or having a dinner night out. Once you can identify what will really recharge you, you can realistically find the pockets of time that suit it. “Me” time can look different for everyone and isn’t simply about putting it in a schedule.

One thing my clients use to get more me time is to create a list of activities that fill them up (calm them down) ... ie. Breathwork, nature, walking, drawing, tea time. The key is to make the list accessible and divide it up by the time it takes to do the activities. That way when unplanned 5 minutes present themselves you can do something that fills you up. And you don't have to think to come up with something... just look at the list. ??

I also suggest my clients to keep a variety of activities that they could use from. Doing the same thing again and again can bring boredom.

Many people associate “me time” with self care, and that is definitely one aspect of nurturing your mind, body and spirit into a place of relaxation.Another essential approach to consider is that of Self-Replenishment.This is more than self care, it is finding the thing that restores balance and fills you back up. If you are depleted by stress, what will rehydrate your soul? This is not the same as topical self care, it is more like a plant drinking through its roots to restore itself, rather than a rainshower washing away the residue.Both are important, but unless we are hydrated with the things that bring nourishment to our core, we might wither and crumble.Consider creativity, playfulness & fun to find your self replenishment modality!

When we struggle to carve out that “special me-time” we all deserve, it’s important to reconsider how we think about our daily activities. There are some who literally cannot add extra ‘time’ to their day, as their existing hours are already fully scheduled. When ‘carving out time’ means less sleep, there is only one option. Change your perspective, during any of your required tasks that can be thought of differently. Where can you find joy in what you are already “have to do”? Even changing how we think and talk about how we spend our time changes the lived experience - at least some. Have you ever trudged up a mountain with a surly teen? Get them talking about a passion and they practically fly up the hill. Your brain is the same.