Freedom. It has been one of the most cherished word. Have we lost it’s meaning in the hustle-bustle of life?A friend recently complained, “I can’t do what my life sings for, I feel like shackled by the need to pay my bills, the wants of my job and the demands of my family”. I seem to have lost touch with who I am and what do I stand for”

How important is the freedom to be me? Do you feel chained in your current environment? The need and desire to be my own self gets shrunk as we are consumed by the outer needs and wants, and are almost oblivious of what is happening inside.

WHY YOU NEED ME TIME
Freedom to be, and to do all that you heartily desire, is not a luxury but a necessity. It is an expression of who we are and how we live our life.

• It matters for your mental and emotional well-being. When we keep dismissing all that matters inside, we keep the inner container craving for the space and attention. It reaches a simmering point, leading to a burst out, which is neither good for you, nor for others around you.
• ME TIME, is important for your personal growth. It provides the space to introspect and do what makes you nourish. It is a dose of stimulating happiness as you release feel good hormones when you do something that gives pleasure.
• ME TIME ensures the right priority. No ME TIME means you keep yourself at the lowest pedestal of your priorities. It implies that you don’t care enough for yourself. If you think it is OK to be this way. Think again as the way you look at yourself, the world looks at you the same way.

HOW TO MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF

Stealing time for yourself from the daily chores can be tricky. It is an art. But once you dabble yourself into it, you won’t resist it for the rest of your time. 

 It needs a strong will-power initially to start something disruptive as it may affect your daily routine.

But nothing can be as dull and boring as a mundane life. Working like a machine round the clock with no time for yourself, is like running to catch a moving train.

• The first step of creating your won ME TIME is knowing and recognising what you crave for, what are your needs and what brings a smile on your face? It can be simple walk, jog or run, could be gardening, singing or may be writing something. We are most of the times, so engrossed with the grind of life, that we even tend to forget what is the source of our joy and happiness.
• The second step is earmarking time for yourself. You have to create this literally by cutting down on your other to-do lists. Getting 20 mins early than your daily wake-up time is an example of creating your own time.
• The third step to being in your own space, calls for rewards, pat yourself on your back for the small wins and activities that spring joy in you. It also means celebrating your ME TIME, by showing others what it means to you. Share your sense of joy that rubs onto others.
• The fourth thing to keep in mind is that your body is your only lifetime companion. It is the only partner that stays throughout your life. Not investing enough into your mind, body and soul often compounds into health and emotional issues with the self.
• The fifth important thing to ME TIME is to recognise that you are unique, different and do not need to be somebody’s clone. People will always want to influence, impress or pressurise you into something, or being somebody who follows them. You are not here to please someone. Live your life with your true self.
• Sixth thing that matters to your ME TIME is taking time off to relax. The peak performance and high-pressure situations often squeeze us emotionally and mentally. Its okay to find sometime just doing nothing. Life is not a race which requires constant running. One needs to pause, reflect and rejuvenate and move ahead.
• Seventh way of tapping into your personal space calls for disconnecting from the digital distractions. You are not alone when you are constantly checking your social media.  Solitude helps one ponder and plan better. A walk is a fantastic way of doing this, leaving your phone behind. 

Doing this, or something that suits you is totally your choice, but making the effort to carve out your ME TIME is the least you can do for yourself. There will always be something important, something pressing you, something or somebody seeking your attention. There is no end to it.

 Life is short to be always entangled in complexities. Being with yourself, helps simplify it because it gives the much-needed time and attention to separate the chaff from the grain.

richha

When what’s most important inside you is sorted, figuring out everything else is not difficult.