Me time.
This is the third time that I have tried to post this BLOG. It’s ok though I have five hours to finish. Why do I have five hours? I am on the train, I am on the way to Montreal. Tomorrow I speak and I need to be there tonight.
Why would I take a five hour train ride to Montreal when I could take one hour flight? Good question… it’s not because I am scared to fly. It is not because all the flights were full. It’s not because I am a train buff. It is because I need to, I choose to. In fact I love the train.
When I take the train it forces me to take five hours to myself. I try and have that time every day early in the morning but it’s hard. My travel schedule is full, we have dozens of groups that are at the Leadership Training Centre every week that demand my time. So by being on the train I in a way force myself to be with me. To read, write, think and just be alone.
In today’s society, in our Western culture we are alway on the go. We think if we stop or rest we will miss something. I challenge you to think about a powerful idea. You’re not… in fact I think we may be missing more by not stopping and enjoying moments and the journey. I sometimes get my best ideas and motivation by doing nothing except slowing myself down. Think about it… take time to breath today. Go somewhere… the colours are changing, the air is fresh. Go to a Starbucks and have a latte. Read a book or meditate. Be with yourself… stop, it’s ok.
Here is today’s question, and please take some time to post a comment or two here in the BLOG. You never know if that idea or activity that you do could be what someone has been searching for their whole lives. Get out the journals and the pens…. here it is.
What are those rituals that you do to make “me time” a reality? What can you do today or this week to schedule in time to be with just you?
Awsome question Stu…..
The rituals that i do, to have “me time” are:
1)Run/Rollerblade everyday with my camp playlist in my ear…
2)Journal every night…
3)I also find mysewlf lately lying on my deck, watching the stars, and just thinking about life, and memories of camp…
4) (lastly) for a lil bit of fun me time, i sing in the shower….thats right i sing…and im a bad singer!
Today, when I had twenty minutes between class, instead of waiting around in a boring, fluorescently-lit hallway, I skedaddled to the library with my latest book and cosied up in one of the lovely reading nooks they have — now with 90% more pillows! It’s been a deluge-day around London, so I had a beautiful downpour soundtrack too. It was only twenty minutes, but an excellent twenty they were.
I do me-time pretty well, actually. My personal construction area goes more to the tune of other-people-time. As I was leaving class today, I ran into a friend who had accidentally arrived an hour early. Instead of going home, I spent the next forty minutes just catching up. Tonight, I’m sharing my mother’s after-work downtime and introducing her to my all-time favourite television show.
Sooner or later I’ll wedge homework-time into the mix too. Hopefully.
My goal? Not a wasted minute. Never a no-time.
-Carolyn
I am a firm believer in this practice. We do not take enough time for ourselves, and in the end we see heart disease rise, and nervous breakdowns galore and people tired and stressed and hurting, because they’re not taking care of themselves.
When I first made a conscious effort to spend “me” time, I found it very difficult. I felt guilty, as many often do when dedicating time and attention to anything other than what they “should” be doing, and I felt scared, to be honest. I was scared to be alone with myself.
Now, I will do anything from see a Broadway musical by myself in New York City, to go for a walk around my campus, to take an extra-long subway ride so I can be alone with my ipod. It’s important. If there is one thing I’ve learned this year, it’s that if I don’t make sure I’m okay, no one else will. They can try, but as the great Ivan Parkinson once said, “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me”.
I’m going to take some me time right now and sit down and read a book with some herbal tea. Oh yeah.
Playing the part of herself,
Julianna
I took a few minutes to think about this one. In my me time…I look at pictures. I just sit on my computer, or with photos and look at pictures of friends, of family, of places, of events, I just take in the past and enjoy it. It’s kind of like re-reading an old journal, but with pictures to illustrate the memories. It’s so nice to simply SOAK in these flashed from the past. It feels so wonderful to re-live all of these times. I am so grateful for them all.
~AM
p.s. of course thousands of these pictures are camp pictures.
AAAND Julianna and I commented within FIVE SECONDS of one another. We really are the same person. I love you JO!
~AM
Cory Calver, your an amazing singer cory.. you pretty much blew me away when i sat beside you in linger once!..
hailey
hailey, well thanks for that hail…i just spat my lemonade..sry stu, but i had to reply to this…its like msn…
but umm i cant sing, and yes hail u can!
Well as much I hate writing essays, it does give me a substantial amount of me time. Being a POlitical Science major gives me the opportunity to write about things that I find are very important (such as gender inequalities and third world development). Today I am writing about whether the current environmental crisis should transcend racism and gender and class. May sound boring but researching and writing it has given me some time to think about something that I now believe is a really important issue.
Azmina
p.s. Have you seen Mad About Town with Ben Affleck? It’s pretty much all about a guy who finds himself through journalling. Great movie- and couldn’t help but think about camp:)
I could not agree more, ‘me time’ is extremely important. Sure it can sound selfish from the get-go, but I truly believe that we must take care of ourselves first, to make certain all systems are a go, before we can be there for others, and in a way that is meaningful, not just going through the motions. I make certain to take ‘me time’ by rising early everyday, making some coffee, and doing a little reading. I enjoy taking a full day on the weekend to go around town, treat myself to something, and just keeping to myself, as opposed to always going going going and always talking talking talking. I enjoy going to a nice and peaceful setting, to read and reflect. I enjoy going to church, a little before it begins, to sit in quiet thought. I have found that even turning off the tv and just closing my eyes, if only for a few moments, helps a great deal as well. What a terrific concept.
I think it’s about time that I responded to our journaling times…
I think that most of my ‘me time’ is spent listening to music. There’s nothing quite like turning the music up loud and listening to a favourite song. Sometimes music helps me reflect and sometimes it allows me to think about nothing for a little while(both very important things in life). I think i may go and have some me time right now.
Gill