"Me" Time

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Amy Yontef, One of Thousands of Family Coaches on Noomii.

“Me” time
Everybody has heard, or at least knows, that making time for oneself is very important. The benefits are numerous. They say that when you carve out time, either daily or weekly, your stress decreases and your efficiency can increase. Typically, when my life gets chaotic, my “me” time is between when I am getting into bed and when my head hits the pillow. I know the crazier my life gets; the first thing I remove from my schedule is exercise. I never want to give up the rush of endorphins of exercising, but for some reason, appointments need to be made or one of the kids has a game or my husband is working and I can’t squeeze in my “me” time in. I end up saying to myself “Okay, forget it, there is always tomorrow”. I slowly make arrangements for other things to take place while I would typically work out. Being a mother of two young children, working, shuffling from one sport activity to the next, dropping off at dance class, starting my own business and attending classes, free time is like gold around my house. Hearing all of that, who has time for a 5 mile run? Does this sound familiar?
Well today I did. I made the time and it reminds me of all the benefits of why “me” time is so important. Even though I took the time to hit the pavement and get running, I feel more balanced and less rushed as I approach everything else that needs to be done for today. I sit here and know that I was able to focus on myself today and I am not giving everything to everybody else. I feel that not only will I be a little better for it, so will my family.
So how can I keep this going? Good question! Time management, commitment, and accountability are the answers. I also need to take the pressure off of myself and get more creative with how I define my “me” time. Maybe it is doing something new for 30 minutes before the kids get up in the morning? Maybe if I want to work out, I throw on an On Demand workout video? The most important part of finding “me” time as a busy mom is making the time and committing to it. As a youth, parent, and family life coach, keeping ourselves accountable to the plans and decisions that we make is very necessary to reaching our success and our family’s success. You also need to identify any obstacles that might get in the way of reaching your goals. Well, in my case, I can never predict the obstacle that is going to get in my way but I can schedule a new appointment in my calendar for ME. This will allow me to not overbook my time or come up with excuses as to why I can’t find time for me.
Okay, so now you have found the time, who is going to help you get to your goal? Who or what will help instill this new positive habit for you? Asking yourself three simple questions will help you get closer to achieving your much needed “me” time. Asking WHO will help me stick to this plan? Asking HOW will they help me obtain my goal? Lastly, saying WHEN I will tell this person of my plan, all help it “seal the deal “when you are keeping YOU a priority.
So now that the “me” time has been found and scheduled in, and the benefits are being reaped, I can be more balanced between myself, my work, my kids, and my family. Knowing that I have spent the time benefiting my soul, my mind, or/and body, allows me to feel less overstretched by focusing on everyone else but me. If my obstacles pop up in the middle of the day, I am still functioning off of the rewards of my earlier “me” time or I know that it is already in my schedule which will help get me through the chaotic world of parenting.
Health, Happiness, and ME time!
Amy

Amy Yontef is a certified Youth Parent and Family Life Coach. She owns her own coaching business for families that are looking to achieve a better balance and harmony, no matter what phase of life you are in. Amy is also a crisis community high school counselor working with at risk teens in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. To find out more about Amy, visit: www.familystrengthcoaching.com