How often do you take time for yourself? I know it’s easy to get caught up with our busy schedules and all the things we have to get done in a day, but one thing we all need is quiet time and I was reminded of this a several years ago by my niece.
When my niece was about five years old, she along with my mom and I traveled to visit family in South Carolina. We were staying with my Aunt and enjoying our time when right in the middle of everything my niece announced she was going to have some “alone time”. Immediately after her announcement she left the family room and walked to her bedroom. Curious over what my niece was going to do during her “alone time”, I quietly followed behind and peeked through the crack of the bedroom door and there she was laying on the bed staring at the ceiling as happy and content as she could be. It was in that moment that I was reminded how important it is to have some quiet “alone” time to yourself. Here are a few reasons why.
Time to recharge
By making time for yourself to be alone and quiet, you give your body the rest it needs. This is one thing I do every day. No matter how busy my schedule or how long my to-do list is, I make sure I take time to be alone and quiet. My body can use that time to rest and recharge and it gives me renewed energy to get through the rest of my day.
Give your brain a break
We all have a million things in our heads from that list of all the things we have to do, to an appointment we need to schedule. Just as your body needs a break so does your brain and having some quiet time allows your brain the time to slow down instead of racing from one activity to the next.
Receive clarity
In the times I sit quietly is when I get the most clarity. When we’re resting and settled ironically, that’s when the answer to a burning question comes to us because we allowed ourselves some quiet time to just let everything relax.
There are plenty of reasons why having some quiet time is beneficial but you may be looking at your schedule or to do list trying to figure out how or where to begin, well here are 3 easy ways to get started.
Set the time
The biggest step is making time. I use my lunch break as my quiet time during the week and early in the mornings on the weekend. While that works for me, you will know the best time for you. It could be early in the morning before everyone in your house is awake or during your lunch break or during nap time. No matter what you choose, setting the time is the most important.
Move away from all the action
Get away from all the action and head to your own peaceful space. Find a place with a door so that you can close it and really get away from everything.
Start with small increments of time
I take between 30 minutes to an hour of time each day to just be quiet. But that may not work for you at the beginning. Start small, give yourself 10 to 15 minutes of quiet time and increase it from there. You will have to find your sweet spot and you’ll know when you’ve had enough time or need more.
When we make time for ourselves we’re doing something wonderful not just for us but for everyone around us. We are better when we’re rested. Going at full steam everyday only leads to burnout. I’m sure at some point while reading this you thought to yourself that you know all of this to be true. Well, I want to challenge you to really take action from what you know and take time for yourself and not just say you will but actually do it. You’ll be so glad you did. Happy Tuesday!
