Taking time out

Taking time out

Recently as part of my own self-care I’ve been taking extended periods of time out from the world of the internet and social media as well as in general for myself, which is why I haven’t written in a while. The more I get to know myself, I realise that taking breaks to absorb and rest is something I have to do quite often. It’s not sustainable to be ‘on’ and pushing all the time, no matter what society dictates.

There are a couple of things I have learned (as well as established further within myself) over the past few weeks that relate to my self-care which I would love to share as you might find they resonate with you.

- Stopping and slowing down really allows you to assess what is important and where you are at with everything in your life. Living on the go, with the constant external noise of people, social media, the internet etc is exhausting, as well as distracting. I don’t know about you, but I find I get swept up by the buzz of things I feel I should be doing, things I could be doing, things that I may not even care about. Taking time out regularly to connect with yourself really enables you to remember what is best for YOU and what YOU need. I have now started having daily meetings with myself (my intuition), where I stop and slow down, turn off all external media, I try to go for a walk in a beautiful, overgrown green space near me, or I meditate for a few minutes if that is all I have time for. Aside from the things I have to do, for work and others, I ask myself what it is I want to focus on, what is best for me on that particular day. We all have this innate wisdom that we have moved away from. Coming back to it and learning to trust yourself is such a wonderful, powerful thing. Rather than always seeking the answers from outside, I encourage you to try the same and look within, you might be surprised at what comes up. It has certainly been (and I hope will continue to be) a wonderfully, nourishing, grounding experience for me.

- One of the things that has come up for me in my slowing down time is that I’m a massive introvert and I am starting to respect that even more. I used to feel guilty or like something was wrong with me, if I didn’t want to meet up with friends and instead wanted to have lots of time to myself. I’d make excuses, saying I had to work or had something else on, when in fact I just wanted to spend time alone reading, writing, meditating, walking, whatever it might be. I’ve made a conscious decision to stop this and just say ‘no’, guilt-free. I love being an introvert, I need lots of time alone, it’s who I am, it’s what replenishes me and makes me better as a person. Accepting and allowing it is a part of my self-care journey.

So, where I am at with everything is a real slowing down and connecting with myself. An ongoing journey of figuring out what is best for me, accepting it and nurturing it so I can continue to be happy and live life giving the best to myself and others.

I recognise we all have different demands on us, through work, family etc, but there is always time to connect with yourself and do something for you, so I would love to encourage you to do just that. Perhaps there is something you can accept about yourself, and move forward nurturing and being proud of even?

Need some more self-care in your life? You can join my next free self-care challenge here.

If you would like support around your wellbeing in any way, please book in a free 30 minute call with me here and let’s chat

Photo by Andreas Selter on Unsplash