Let’s face it, every mom needs “me time,” but the question is: what is “me time”? “Me time” is simply time spent alone. It is time you set aside just for yourself, so you can “recharge your batteries.” When we tell my friends that it is essential to spend time alone, they always say how busy they are. However busy you are, “me time” shouldn’t be viewed as a waste of time.
It’s hard to find time for yourself, especially if you’re a working mom. Let’s say you’re a career woman, you work a 9 to 5 day job, you’re a mom, and you’re a wife. With all the responsibilities that come with the titles you hold, especially the “MOM” title, it’s not easy to have time alone. This article will help you learn the importance of spending time alone and how you can get time for yourself.
Why Every Mom Needs “Me Time”
1. Helps in reducing stress and unwinding
Being a mom is a like a full-time day job, and one is always under pressure. If you don’t set aside time to be away from the daily ups and downs of mom’s life, you risk increasing stress levels. This will eventually lead to you burning out. You can prevent this from happening by setting aside time to be alone away from your daily schedules/routines.
2. Increases productivity
When we have a lot on my to-do list, we don’t accomplish some of the things to our satisfaction. Why? Because we work non-stop. We don’t take breaks to refresh. So we don’t work on my tasks well. On the other hand, when we take small breaks, we’re more productive. We’re able to accomplish my daily goals to our satisfaction. Try taking breaks to spend time alone, and you will see how productive you will become.
3. Solitude helps in creativity
When you spend time alone, your brain starts to wander, which may help you become more creative. That is why a lot of people who write books, music, and poems prefer to spend time alone. Spending time alone will help an author to come up with a new chapter or even a new book. Music writers are also able to get inspiration for new songs when they have quality “me time.”
4. Increases self-reliance
When you’re on your own, you’re able to make decisions without asking for opinions from others. This helps you to become more comfortable and independent. People will not always be around to help you and relying on others, especially when you’re down, doesn’t usually work. When alone, you learn to be emotionally self-sufficient.
5. “Me time” will help you to know yourself
Have you ever struggled to answer when someone asks you to tell them about yourself? You can avoid the embarrassment of struggling to explain who you are by asking yourself these questions when alone. What are my interests? What are my weaknesses? What are my strengths? These questions will help you think more in-depth, and self discover yourself. When you self discovers yourself, you will have a happy and fulfilling life as a mom.
6. Alone time boosts empathy
Spending time alone helps you feel and understand what others are going through. When you hang out in isolation, you increase your compassion for other people outside your circle of family, friends, and co-workers.
7. Solitude enhances relationships
People will value you if you value yourself. When you make yourself a priority, you show others that you respect your needs. If you don’t make yourself a priority, people will take advantage of you. This means that you will not be able to relate well with others and may lead to broken relationships.
8. Improves concentration
Whether you’re working in an office or at home, you get distracted and interrupted a lot during the day. This hinders your concentration. When you want to concentrate more, you need to spend time alone away from the distractions and interruptions.
9. Builds mental strength
Most people, especially extroverts, get nervous when they spend time alone. A mom friend, an extrovert, told us that she is never comfortable when alone. But, if you can tolerate spending time alone, you increase your mental strength. Increasing your mental strength allows you to increase your happiness.
10. Improves work-life balance
When you understand how important it is to look after your needs, you become better at creating a work-life balance. You’re able to walk away from tasks that may interfere with your plans. Therefore, you’re able to focus on important things in your life.
11. Alone time may help in reducing behavior problems in children
When you set time aside to be alone, your children will learn that it is healthy to be alone. Teach your kids early on the importance of “me time.” We have learned that kids behave better if they learn by themselves.
12. Helps in problem-solving
Sometimes when you have a problem, and people or digital devices surround you, it might not be easy to find a solution. When you spend time alone, you break your pattern of thinking. You can think about the problem in a new way. This often leads to a solution.
Now that we have looked at the benefits of “me time,” you’re probably wondering how you can find time to spend alone.
Ideas That We Have Used To Find Our “Me Time”
1. Get up early
This is something we have mastered, and it has been effective so far. We have set my alarm to wake us up an hour earlier than everyone in the house. We use this time to enjoy meditation and solve problems, among other things. If you cannot manage to wake up early and you work, try getting to work early. You can plan to get half an hour or an hour earlier. You’d be surprised how much you’ll enjoy the quiet early mornings, it’s very peaceful!
2. Close/lock your door
Closing the door mostly applies to people who have offices. If you have an office and you want some time alone, you need to close the door. A friend who works in an office setting told us it is an effective strategy. If you leave your door open, that means that anyone is free to come in. When you close the door, your co-workers or employees will know that you’re engaged so no one will disturb you. This works well if you’re able to put a sign indicating that you shouldn’t be bothered.
If you’re a mom and you don’t work in an office during the day, you can also learn to lock doors. If you have a partner and he is around, you can ask him to watch over the kids as you lock yourself in the bedroom. It doesn’t matter if you get 15 minutes. The uninterrupted few minutes you get to spend alone will go a long way in restoring your sanity.
3. Disconnect
We all have ways that we use to connect with others. Disconnecting from all these ways can help you get “me time.” If you have a TV, turn it off, also, make sure to turn off your cell phone and your internet. If you love writing like me, try writing with your internet off. This ensures that all the notifications you get when connected are off. You will be surprised at how productive you can be without distractions, sometimes disconnecting from family or friends for yourself is a good thing from time to time too.
4. Use your lunchtime
If you work and you get at least an hour for lunch, avoid spending the time working. Don’t run errands when you should be free. If you and your co-workers go out for lunch, you shouldn’t always go with them. You can set some days when you use your lunchtime alone. You can commit to enjoy a peaceful walk alone, eat at the park, or just sit in a quiet place outside where no one can disturb you.
5. Find help
If you take care of your kids yourself, you can get time to spend alone by finding someone to babysit your kids. You can either hire a babysitter or ask for help from your friends, neighbors, or partner. Make this a priority, and you will succeed in getting your “me time.”
6. Plan for time alone
If you have a to-do list that you work with daily, ensure that spending time alone part of your list. The same way you get time to work on the other items on the list is the same way you can schedule for “me time” and get it. The time you spend alone doesn’t have to belong. The few minutes you can spare will make a big difference in your life.
If you have a hard time remembering the last time you had some “me time” try setting aside just 10 minutes for a start. Ensure you’re alone and allow yourself to think for those 10 minutes. We should warn you that at first, it might be uncomfortable, but with time you will start to reap the benefits of spending time alone mentioned in this article. Time spent alone will help you transform into the best version of yourself.
Thank you for reading! Let us know what activities you’re taking advantage of doing while on your “me time”. Are you taking the time out to solely reflect? We’d love to hear from our community of strong mothers.
Be sure to check out similar content like “How To Live On Half Your Income” or “How to Prepare Your “Mental Wealth” for 2017”. Inspiration to guide strong mothers worldwide. Check it out!
