take more time for myself

I just finished my thesis and I feel totally drained and tired.

Problem is, I really can’t stop. The next 4 days I am presenting workshops everyday.

Once I finish these, I’m going to take 3 days off (18th, 19th and 20th of May).

If I don’t take a break soon, I fear I could burn out.

My life has completely change in the past 6 months. Married with children now. I focus so much on everyone else’s happiness I’m left feeling lost.
My life coach told me to take time for myself. I must identify what I enjoy doing now. Travel, yes, but I can’t always travel. Sitting in coffeehouses reading or journaling – yes, yoga – yes, seeing independent films – yes, talking with my Fabulous Girls – yes, and eating at new restaurants – yes. Some of these I can do without others participation or support.
It’s been 6 months – last night was the first time in this entire time I did something for me. I met a friend for coffee. It was great!! I must schedule time for me and make me a priority.

I have been working on this one… with training to walk a marathon, I naturally have more time to myself, and with waking up earlier, I also have more time. And, I love walking, so that is a great way for me to spend my me time!

I have been able to enjoy the finer things in life!!!

I am so occupied by my job and a gazillion of other things that I trully do not find any time more for myself. I will set myself a goal to exctract at least an hour per day just for myself.

Looking back over my entries for this goal, I can see how rigid I was when I first started out. I believe that’s because it was a new thing for me. By being so rigid and structuring how I was going to accomplish it I could feel sure that I would accomplish it in the end.

And I feel I have. I certainly don’t take time for myself at a particular, scheduled time any more. I don’t even necessarily take time for myself consistently. But it has become part of my mind set and I know that if I write myself a reminder to take an hour for myself this week I will do it.

My MIL is coming tonight. I’m way nervous, and makes this goal harder. She’s super mom and I am a horrible, HORRIBLE housekeeper. I’m afraid she’s going to take her son back when she sees that we live in filth and squalor.

Any suggestions for polite ways to tell my man to get lost for a day? I love him, dearly. But I just need 36 hours alone at home.

I did take an hour for myself, not every day last week, but most. I found it really rewarding and I have been trying to keep it up this week too. I haven’t done brilliantly- I missed a couple of days this week too, due to a uni presentation I’ve been working frantically at- but I’m pleased to be making some progress on this goal.

I’ve also been trying to stick as much as possible to the 8am/pm times, but not limit myself to them. They help me to remember to do it, but I’m not restricting myself to those times and no others.

I hope this will become a habit if I do it often enough.

I’ve been terrible with this goal, even if it is also part of the happiness manifesto.

This week I’ve promised myself that I’ll take an hour, either at 8am or 8pm, to listen to myself and my intuition. I hope to do a bit of meditation and some journalling as well as reiki-ing myself.

It’s time I put myself first.