Scheduling, setting up meetings and getting things checked off our to-do lists is a task we are all too familiar with. However, how often do you set aside time just for yourself and nothing else? This is an important question to ask yourself, and certainly for most of us the answer would be “not often enough.” Blocking time off your calendar or busy day schedule just to breathe, relax and be alone is critical to our wellbeing. In a world where we are constantly connected, active, stimulated and attentive, it is crucial to reset and focus on ourselves from a personal perspective.
A little trick I like to do myself is set my alarm slightly earlier than my husbands, make a big cup of tea and sit on my patio, surrounded by my plants, the fresh morning air and the sounds of my surroundings waking up. I take this time to simply observe what is around me, close my eyes at times, breathe, and focus on enjoying the morning without drawing any attention to the details of the day ahead. This is a small routine that has had a large impact on my mental wellbeing, in particular during the pandemic. In fact, I love how it has made me feel so much that I have a similar short time period during which I do the same thing, only after the day's work has been done.
Now the point here is not to share my love of tea drinking with you, but simply to challenge you to become more aware of the lack of time you give to yourself, regardless of the fashion in which you do this. Perhaps you feel that you already give yourself a lot of time. In this case, I challenge you to enhance this even more. We can never give ourselves too much time, and any time spent disconnecting, focusing on your internal emotions, state of mind and wellbeing is essential to holistic health. You don’t need to be a meditation guru or sit crossed legged in a yoga pose! All you need to do is focus on yourself for a short period of time. If you can not seem to get into a regular habit of spending that minute to yourself; that's okay too. Habits have proven to be difficult to sustain, in particular during a time of global turmoil such as the one in which we currently find ourselves. Even so, I urge you to set aside your devices whenever you have a random chance to and focus simply on two very important things; your breathing and yourself. You will be glad to have tried this, I can guarantee it. A minute alone is a powerful tool that all too many of us take for granted and simply do not give ourselves, despite its enormous power to alter our wellbeing for the better.