Taking time out? I must be joking. Everyone is busy these days, desperately trying to multi-task and keep all the balls in the air. The experience of working from home during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 has blurred the lines between home and work. Also the excitement and novelty of actually being able to go places and do things has led to a lot of over-scheduling.
Busy Doesn’t Equal Important
It seems the majority of us still feel we have to demonstrate that we are ‘keeping busy’ and ‘being productive’.
To be fair, there are a lot of people out there trying to sell us things to help us keep busy, so it serves them to encourage us to feel we have to be. However, despite what society, the media and many advertisers would have us believe we do not have to be busy to justify our existence. There’s no requirement to be doing something productive all the time, nor should we feel we have to account for every minute of our day.
Why We Need To Take Time Out
We need to nurture ourselves to give ourselves the physical and mental energy to face the challenges that arise before us. Facing even minor challenges is hard when you are feeling frazzled. We expect so much of ourselves, yet most of us stubbornly refuse to cut ourselves even the tiniest amount of slack. It isn’t surprising we feel unable to cope from time to time. It’s important to take time out so that we can nurture ourselves and let ourselves be creative.
Finding Balance By Taking Time Out
Enjoy your first hot drink of the day
Take your morning coffee or tea outside if it’s sunny. Sit on your front step or in your garden and spend just ten minutes enjoying your first hot drink of the day instead of gulping it down as you work. If it’s cold outside, put on something warm and spend some time enjoying the patterns the frost has made in nature. If it’s pouring down with rain, take the time to actually sit down somewhere comfortable in your house and spend ten minutes – that’s just 600 seconds – mindfully enjoying your first hot drink of the day.
Mix things up a bit to take time out
A byproduct of being busy is often an addiction to routine. We cope with a full schedule by doing things in a set order. Ever feel stressed when something unexpected crops up? That is a sure sign of an addiction to routine.
I appreciate a certain amount of structure is vital, especially when you have kids. However, if you can change the way you do things even slightly, it can be really refreshing. Change the route of a regular journey just a little bit, have a cup of herb tea instead of a coffee (or vice versa), serve breakfast for dinner or shop in a different grocery store. A change really can be as good as a rest.
“Meet” a friend
One benefit of the lockdowns are how creative it has made us in terms of connecting. Can’t meet up for a walk? Give a friend a call and you can both go for a walk on your own while having a good catch up. Of course, be sure to do this safely, and be mindful of any hazards you may come across, including traffic. Or have a cup of tea or coffee on Zoom. You can even ‘meet’ to do an online class that interests you both. Not long ago, the Pilates class I attend online recently ‘met’ for a Healthy Lunches class, where we made and enjoyed lunch together, all on Zoom.
Be a Virtual Tourist
Even if you are not yet ready to travel again, there are lots of places that offer online tours. From castles to museums, art galleries to stately homes, there are so places to explore virtually. Make a virtual visit to London and ‘visit’ Buckingham Palace, the British Museum, the Parliament Buildings and more.Fans of Jane Austen can tour her Hampshire home online. Or go further afield and ‘visit’ one of my favourite galleries, The Musée d’Orsay in Paris. You can even take virtual tours of New York City. Just Google ‘virtual tours’ and your chosen city to ‘visit’ just about anywhere.
Breathe
This is the quickest, cheapest, easiest and most effective time out I know. Simply sit still and concentrate on your breath for just one minute. Close your eyes, let your belly fill up as you inhale and concentrate on a long slow exhale, gently contracting your belly to expel all the air. Everyone has time for this – seriously, we are talking sixty seconds here – and not only does it make you feel good, it really is good for you.
Today more than ever we need to nurture ourselves with regular time out to replenish our resources, calm anxiety, nurture our creativity and even benefit those around us. I hope you will use some of these suggestions to help you incorporate regular time out in your life and that you will soon be feeling the benefits.
Comments & Reviews
I was nodding in agreement with your suggestions even before I scrolled down and found the photo of us having tea 😉
Personally, I find just a few minutes outside to be a wonderful boost – I notice I feel more sluggish in the afternoon if I haven’t poked my nose outside at lunchtime. And of course I’m lucky, living here, that there aren’t many days when that’s impossible.
Thanks for the very kind mention. It was lovely to meet you and what better excuse for tea?
My pleasure, Pauline! It was a lovely to meet you too 🙂
This is great advice! I do feel that I spend a lot of my energy checking things off a list to make myself feel valuable. I’m going to have a cup of tea outside this morning!
Stopping over from The Super Mommy Club linky. Great advice. I think it is important to take some time to re-charge. I actually on occasion will take a whole day 🙂
We’ve been taking some time to explore our local area a bit more over recent weeks. We’ve uncovered some gems like a local farm and a country park that’s beautiful for a stroll – on a clear day we can see all the way to Wales!
#supermommyclub
I do feel that it is very important to take time out for oneself. I haven’t really had time to explore much with the kids yet. There are quite a few new places opened up around here which I may just visit with them these two weeks.
Very well written article, April, and I could not agree with you more, taking time out, is important to help our bodies and minds to switch off from pressures. Very useful tips!
Thank you so much, Hadia 🙂
You nailed it for me. I need to slow down a bit. Enjoy my city too
Thanks for linking at the best of the blogosphere
I’m so glad my post resonated with you! It really does make such a difference if you can Take Time Out – however I admit that sometimes I need to take my own advice to heart 😉
Good Morning April, I do agree it is so important to take time for yourself. During the summer time when I was working, I always sat and enjoyed my morning cup of coffee in the garden, as the garden always felt so calming and a lovely way to start my day. Nowadays I am retired, and I find I do not rush around like I did, but I have found my own rhythm and I love each day.
Best Wishes to you from the North East of England.
Daphne
Good morning, Daphne, I am so glad you agree, it really does make a difference! I think it is a real gift to find a rhythm to each day. Thank you so much for visiting and I hope you will come back again soon. With very best wishes, April
This is such an important reminder! I tend to want to justify every minute of my day even though I’m on disability benefits and don’t have to work. Even those who do work, can hopefully still take time out for relaxation.
Thank you, Astrid. You definitely should not feel like you have to justify any of your time. We are allowed to be human beings from time to time, not just human doings. I hope you take some time out for relaxation today, justification free!