Finding Time to Make Time for Yourself

[Fred Krazeise]

Most of my clients report feeling a sense of guilt when they take time for themselves. Actually, it's selfish not to spend time with yourself. Best-selling author of "The Artist's Way," Julia Cameron says, "Every time you commit to some self-nurturing project, there¹s the voice of your conditioning that raises its head and says, Oh dear, aren¹t you being selfish. We lose ourselves because we are afraid of being selfish, but when we turn around and take care of ourselves, we actually become much happier and more generous."

As I say to my clients all the time, "You spend all of your time giving, giving, and giving, writing checks on your personal health account. You need to put some deposits into that account from time to time!"

Here are a few self-nurturing activities that won't interfere with your daily commitments, but will help you restore your energy and live a happier life.

1. Start a journal.
2. Get a massage
3. Meditate
4. Visit a gallery or a museum
5. Take a class

The key is to try to enjoy yourself when making time for yourself. It just takes practice, but the more you give back to yourself, the easier it will become and the more you will be able to give to others in your life.

What are some of the things that you like to do to make time for yourself? I invite my readers to comment!

[Fred Krazeise]

What a wonderful way to make time for yourself! And I love that you actually make a "date." You are right, we are much more likely to take things seriously if you put it on your calendar and show up for your "date!"

[Ellen Brown]

Great topic, Fred! I think that a lot of us feel "selfish" about giving ourselves permission to nurture ourselves or have fun. And yet it is SO crucial to take care of ourselves so we have the energy and enthusiasm to take care of others, especially if we are caregivers or in a helping profession.

I, personally, like to spend time in nature, so I try to make a "date" with myself to make that happen. And sometimes I recommend that to clients, too. Sometimes, when we make a date with ourselves, and actually block it off in our calendars, we're more likely to take it seriously and actually show up for the "date."

Thanks for writing about this topic. It really is important to take time for our lives.