Last week I had a bit of a wobble and it was an amazing reminder about how important it is for me to take quality time for myself. I took myself out to a beautiful place in the countryside, armed with a notebook and pens. I walked along the river and found a bench to sit at where I worked surrounded by nature and the sound of water and birds.
It was so incredibly restorative. I felt like a new person afterwards.
Sometimes I forget how important this is and it’s almost like I forget who I am. I feel out of sorts and overwhelmed. I know the balance isn’t right and I feel unsettled but there’s not necessarily anything specifically wrong that needs my attention.
When I feel like this, I need to take some time to myself to tune back into who I really am.
It can be just a couple of hours, though I usually try to give myself longer if I can. At the moment I’m doing this by taking myself to a different environment to work or go for a walk, though at other times it might be a solo trip to the cinema, watching one of my favourite films, or going to one of my favourite places to eat. Other people I know take themselves to a certain meaningful place or do a specific activity they love.
Whatever your circumstances, if you’re feeling a little out of sorts I would highly recommend spending some quality time with yourself if you possibly can.
At the moment we’re living in unusual circumstances and some people find themselves spending a lot of time on their own and others find themselves spending much less time on their own. Neither of these are ideal – we need some quality time on our own (where we’re choosing to spend time on our own) and we need some quality time with others (where we’re choosing to spend time with others).
Whatever your current situation, what can you do in the next few days that feels like a treat to yourself? How could you be loving to yourself and give yourself the time you deserve?
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A good friend of mine sent me some 365 days of self care post- it notes and I’ve been keeping up the tradition by completing one for each week as I don’t always have time every day. I started by making a list of all the things I like to do or can treat myself with and then each week I pick one, write it on a post-it note and stick it in my diary to remind myself to do it each week. My list includes things like buy some flowers, bake something, contact a friend, play a board game and have a movie night.
Just having that little time each week for me has made all the difference to my mental health. Doesn’t have to be a big thing; can be as simple as pay someone a compliment. We all need a little self care.
What a fantastic idea! Love the physical act of having a post-it note in your diary to remind you to do it too. Thanks so much for sharing 😊