{"id":8230,"date":"2011-12-11T22:47:43","date_gmt":"2011-12-12T06:47:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=8230"},"modified":"2013-09-16T12:45:11","modified_gmt":"2013-09-16T20:45:11","slug":"why-you-should-take-more-time-for-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/why-you-should-take-more-time-for-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Take More Time for Yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Screen-shot-2011-12-11-at-10.47.01-PM.png\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In today\u2019s busy world, it\u2019s easy to put everyone else first. With the demands of work and family, it might feel that there\u2019s not much time left over for you. Perhaps you even feel guilty about taking time for yourself \u2013 after all, shouldn\u2019t you be spending that time with your kids, or your spouse, or your in-laws?<\/p>\n<p>We all need time to rest and recharge. If life feels so busy that you\u2019re convinced you <em>can\u2019t<\/em> manage to have a few hours for yourself, then it\u2019s especially crucial that you carve out some \u201cme time\u201d. Here\u2019s why:<!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>You Need to Take Care of Your Health<\/h2>\n<p><strong>If you run yourself into the ground, you\u2019re not going to be much help to the people around you.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>That might seem a rather cold way to look at things \u2013 but if you\u2019re struggling to justify your daily meditation practice, your exercising, your book club, or whatever it might be, then you need to remind yourself that your health is vital.<\/p>\n<p>Good physical and mental health requires upkeep of your body, mind and soul. That might mean:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Body: Jog for 30 minutes, three times a week<\/li>\n<li>Mind: Read a book during your lunch hours<\/li>\n<li>Soul:\u00a0 Go to a religious service (or other act of worship) regularly<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>You Want Space to Breathe and Think<\/h2>\n<p>If your life is starting to feel like a treadmill, it\u2019s time to hit the <em>stop <\/em>button.<\/p>\n<p><strong>When you\u2019re in the thick of things, it\u2019s hard to get much perspective.<\/strong> Perhaps you\u2019re struggling with a particular decision \u2013 like a choice of career paths, or the opportunity to take an important qualification. It can be all too easy to put off decisions or make hasty choices if you don\u2019t take the time to stop and think.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re engaged in any creative activity \u2013 writing, designing, computer programming, running a business \u2013 then this down-time is vital. You need to be able to get away from the constant busyness in order to do the best work that you\u2019re capable of.<\/p>\n<p>To get space, you could:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Go out to a coffee shop on your own for a couple of hours<\/li>\n<li>Take a long walk in the countryside<\/li>\n<li>Book a weekend\u2019s retreat, away from everyday life<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><em>You<\/em> Are Important Too<\/h2>\n<p>Sometimes, we put other people first because we\u2019re secretly convinced that they\u2019re more important, or more needy, than us. We downplay our own needs in order to help them.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps you\u2019ve got a relative who\u2019s ill, or a friend who\u2019s facing huge struggles in his life. By all means help them \u2013 but don\u2019t forget that <em>you<\/em> are important too. <strong>Don\u2019t pour all of your energy into doing things for others at the expense of taking care of yourself.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You might need to get back in touch with your own needs and desires:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Write in a journal for 5 minutes every day, and look for patterns emerging<\/li>\n<li>Make a list of goals that you\u2019d like to accomplish over the next 1, 3 and 5 years<\/li>\n<li>Join a local group (or an online forum) that\u2019s devoted to a particular hobby or goal of yours<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>However busy you are, you can find time for yourself \u2013 even if you have to start with just a few minutes each day, or an hour or two every weekend. What could you do this week to make more breathing space in your life?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We all need time to rest and recharge. If life feels so busy that you\u2019re convinced you can\u2019t manage to have a few hours for yourself, then it\u2019s especially crucial that you carve out some \u201cme time\u201d. Here\u2019s why: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/why-you-should-take-more-time-for-yourself\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":8231,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[6],"tags":[943,51,66,1035,4629,1790,995],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why You Should Take More Time for Yourself - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When you\u2019re in the thick of things, it\u2019s hard to get much perspective. 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Perhaps you\u2019re struggling with a particular decision \u2013 like a choice of career paths, or the opportunity to take an important qualification. It can be all too easy to put off decisions or make hasty choices if you don\u2019t take the time to stop and think.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/why-you-should-take-more-time-for-yourself\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-12-12T06:47:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-09-16T20:45:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Screen-shot-2011-12-11-at-10.47.01-PM.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"425\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"283\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erin Falconer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/why-you-should-take-more-time-for-yourself\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Screen-shot-2011-12-11-at-10.47.01-PM.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Screen-shot-2011-12-11-at-10.47.01-PM.png\",\"width\":\"425\",\"height\":\"283\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/why-you-should-take-more-time-for-yourself\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/why-you-should-take-more-time-for-yourself\/\",\"name\":\"Why You Should Take More Time for Yourself - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/why-you-should-take-more-time-for-yourself\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2011-12-12T06:47:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-09-16T20:45:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\"},\"description\":\"When you\u2019re in the thick of things, it\u2019s hard to get much perspective. 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