WHY YOU NEED YOUR ‘ME’ TIME.
My mom and dad are over at my place this weekend so that I can get my well needed break. I can count countless times when I had to rely on people in my tribe to fill in to take care of my child(ren) while I went away to spend some ‘me’ time.
By ‘me’ time, I mean a time to get away from ‘work’ or my child(ren) or my base (house) so that I can learn more about myself (introspection), or a time to enjoy nature or do my hobbies far far away from the pressures of parenting (self care) or simply jet away to celebrate small wins like anniversaries, birthdays or special occasions of other family members and friends (travel).
We learn more about ourselves during our quiet or less interrupted moments- when no one is in our vicinity. While in the shower, cooking, driving alone , lying awake in your bed, or simply being away from your neighborhood to visit friends can be the ‘aha’ moment you realize you have to start doing something differently or perhaps stop a bad habit. You will be surprised what you learn or find out, when you have your solitary moments, far from the noise or buzz of the world around you. For me when I am tucked away in my ‘world’ with absolutely no noise, I am able to clear my head and gain a better perspective of how to continue my ‘parenting’ journey ahead or tackle a challenge that I may be facing. I will say to you: try introspection to gain a better perspective.
Self care is so vital for improving or ensuring our mental health. Sometimes parenting can stressful. Take a break, ask for help, do your hobbies like reading, gardening, lying down on the couch while you watch Netflix, surfing social media to take away useful lessons from posts or stories, getting a manicure or pedicure to look pretty, going shopping, listening to music or do just anything wholesome that you enjoy. For me Friday evenings are my best days as I keep sight of the weekends, which I try to keep ‘free’ and ‘light,’ and especially after a hectic work week. When you take care of your self, you will have regained strength to parent better. It also shows your children the importance of rest during work. Remind them- all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. I mean, we have break time in school, lunch time at work, there is absolutely nothing wrong with ‘mommy’ or ‘daddy’ time
Travel is top on my list when I need to have my ‘me’ time. Every two to three months, i try to go away from where I reside . It doesn’t have to be expensive- you can take a train ride from Lagos to Ibadan, visit an aunt or uncle in the next city to yours, or do a 3 hour road drive to the mountains. When you travel, you find out something new about the world around you, gain a better appreciation for people that don’t look like you or act like you, and broaden your views about life and the role that you can play to touch the lives of others and make the world better.
Dear friends, if you are not clocking your ‘me’ time, the clock is ticking and today is definitely not late.
