Keeping It Healthy Wednesday

Be Stress Free... Make Time for ME!

I don't mean literally Me, as in JenellyBean, I mean "ME" as in you.

School is back (or almost back) in session and the kids have to get ready for school, get to school, have lunch for school, go to extracurricular activities after school, go to scheduled play dates, do homework assignments, and projects. You have to have make sure the house is clean and have dinner ready, and make sure the house is clean again. Laundry, bills, sick husbands, pressure from family... the list goes on.

Did I mention you have a full time job too??

You have to remember that in the midst of every one's lives you still need ME time. This is crucial for your sanity and your health. But how can I find ME time when everyone else's ME time takes up all MY time??

What you need to do is start scheduling your ME time and then make it a non negotiable. The same way the kids have practice or lessons at 4pm and that's final; the same way your supervisor wants that info requested by 5pm; the same way the family needs to be fed; This is the same way you need to think of your ME time.

Look at your day to day schedule and think of a 20-60 minute span of time that you usually fill with something that could be done at another time or by someone else. Designate that time as your official ME time and do something just for you.

Here are some really good ways to spend your ME time and relieve stress.

Get a 20-40 minute workout in at the gym.

Walk around your neighborhood.

Find a quiet area and read a good book.

Get a soy Latte at Starbucks or a coffee at Dunkin Donuts.

Call your friend and laugh, laugh, laugh, laugh!

If you are reading this and thinking to yourself "This is impossible, I just don't have the time", then you really need to sit back and think of who is effected by your stress. When you overexert yourself to the point that you can't even fathom spending as little as 20 minutes on yourself, there is a serious problem brewing.

Regardless of how you spend the time, the important thing is that you make sure to spend the time.