TIME FOR YOURSELF does not mean those few nano seconds between when you get into bed at night and fall asleep. Time for yourself is not that moment you chance upon during a busy day when you suddenly and surprisingly find yourself in a lull. Time for yourself is not simply the time left over from a crushing schedule where you just wilt and flop awakening in a daze to frosted flakes stuck to your cheek. Sometimes we may convince ourselves that moments such as these are all we can afford or deserve to take in our busy lives. It's all we can manage. But is that true?

Creating balance in your life requires some give and take. It means balancing time that you give and time that you take for yourself. Balancing the flow of energy in your life in this way is crucial to your health and wellbeing. You need to create this sense of balance to feel well. Granting time for yourself is not a selfish luxury, it is a bog-standard necessity.

Taking time for yourself needs to be recognized as an important and integral part of your mental, physical and spiritual health. You need time to replenish. Time to nurture yourself and your own needs, whatever they may be. When you feel rested and re-energized it has a positive effect on all other aspects of your life.

Prioritize time for yourself. Recognize the gift of time. Recouping your energy and zing is not just a gift to yourself but a gift to all around you. You are so much happier and rested and ready to give when you have had time for yourself. If you haven’t got it, you can’t give it, right? Without prioritizing time for yourself you may feel put upon and heavily burdened. This may create an environment in which a dialogue of resentment may build up inside where an inner grumble is allowed to circulate around the theme of, “Why is it always down to me? Why do I have to do this? Why am I last on the list? Why does no one care about me and my feelings? I work so hard and no one takes a blind bit of notice? I wish someone would say thank you once in a while! I never get a break! Why? Why? Why? Fume! Fume! Fume!” Sound familiar? Or perhaps there are resentments around a different theme that are being left to stew. I invite you to challenge those resentments and give them a stern talking to as they can easily become comfortable thought patterns that may serve misery and dejection. What do you choose? What are you actively doing to prevent resentments or negative thought patterns?

And so to the 7 P's... Prior planning and preparation prevents pretty poor performance. Yes, you will need to organize yourself so that you can give time to yourself. Prioritizing requires some planning and preparation so that the gift of time can be anticipated as you look forward to it, as well as enjoyed in real time as you are actually enjoying it and then reflected upon with happy recollections afterwards. Yay! A cycle of joy is created. Make a plan and then stick to it. Commit to it.

Taking that time for yourself is both deserved and earned. You live a busy life with many complex pulls on your time and energy. Working hard, raising a family, meeting financial obligations, meeting responsibilities of extended family, even dealing with lousy morning traffic contributes to a full, often exhausting life. But then you need to time for yourself. You deserve time to let off steam, relax, breathe, recharge those batteries and regain and anchor a strong sense of self. You deserve time to find your joy. You have earned time to actively pursue an inner place of peace and contentment that cannot be shaken by the storms of life.

What makes you happy? What brings you joy? How do you have fun? How do you lighten your life? How do you spend time nurturing yourself, physically, mentally and spiritually? Are these really strange and alien questions that seem out of touch with the realities and responsibilities of life? What is more important than creating a human being that is ready and motivated, joyful and present, loving and giving in their life journey? You have the power and the responsibility to take time for your self. Is that true?

Take some time to mull over your passions and consider what brings a smile to your face. Perhaps it is something you haven't done in a long time, something you enjoyed in high school. Perhaps it is a skill or talent that you would like to develop or hone. Perhaps you love physical pursuits; perhaps you just need peace and quiet time. Get your creative juices flowing and find whatever it is that adds joy to your life. Create a balanced energy in your life that allows time to give and time to take.

If you recognize that deep down inside there truly needs to be a shift in the balance of time given and time taken in your life then I invite you to challenge yourself to look at how the energy in your life is distributed. Reflect upon the choices you currently make and consider how they are working for you or against you.

You have the power and the control to bring balance to your life starting right now in this moment. Give yourself permission to take time for yourself because you can now justify it! You can now see the benefits! Time for yourself is IMPORTANT, it is a HEALTH PRIORITY, it is DESERVED and EARNED, it is VALUABLE to yourself and others, it is ALLOWED and ENCOURAGED in the creation of a healthy life rich in joy, meaning and balance, it is a NECESSITY to your survival!

Now go and take some time for yourself. GO!

© Laura Barnes, 2008

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laura Barnes is a professional, certified Life Coach based in the East Valley. Call (480) 577 8140, email laurabarnes@yourpotentialpower.com or visit www.yourpotentialpower.com. She looks forward to hearing how you created time for yourself.