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Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Celebrate YOU: Having 'You Time'


Around here, we like to celebrate.  Birthdays, holidays, engagements, 'Hey! You woke up today and put two feet on the floor' days... Every day, to us, is a day to celebrate because everyday is a gift from the Lord, and, well, gifts are worth celebrating!

But one thing I think we as women forget to do from time to time is to take a step back and just celebrate OURSELVES. 
Let's face it, I'm sure the last thing on your mind as you're crawling into bed at night is 'Did I take care of myself today?' 
It's only natural that in whatever walk of life that you're in right now, whether it be a new mom, new wife, college student, or a newbie at your job, that we think of others.  We're women, that's what we do... We like to nurture others (Which the Bible totally says we should do, so hey, we are AWESOME! Give yourself a pat on the back!). 
Sometimes it takes everything I have to remember to take some time for myself that day.  But one thing I've noticed since starting to do so is how much more put together I feel throughout the day. How much more I can hear my own thoughts.  
That's what 'Celebrate You' is about.  In the next few weeks, we'll unpack the idea of what it takes to actually celebrate yourself.  We'll talk about...
1.  Having 'You Time'
Setting time aside each day to devote to spending time with yourself and no one else.

2.  Feeding Your Soul
Having quiet time for prayer and devotion

3.  Pampering Yourself
Investing time into things that you enjoy

These are the three things that I, personally, have found that helps me really channel my inner "me".  Sometimes I think we're all so busy in life getting to know our surroundings as well as other people that we forget that we actually need to get to know ourselves!
So let's jump right in, shall we?  Let's talk about

You time, in my opinion, is a completely essential part in taking care of yourself.  It keeps us focused and, well, sane.  And by taking care of yourself I don't mean your health or your appearance..
 I mean taking.care.of.yourself.
Look at it this way.
I have a 3 year old.  I take care of him.  Yes, I make sure I take him to doctor's appointments and give him baths every night, but I also spend time getting to know him (he changes EVERY DAY!), learning what interests him, and genuinely LOVING him.  I take care of him by meeting both his physical needs as well as his emotional needs
Are you treating yourself the same way I treat my son?  Do you actually take time to get to know yourself?  Do you spend time doing things that genuinely interest you?  Do you love on yourself?
I know I'm guilty of putting myself last on the list.
So 'You Time'... What does that look like?
Here are three characteristics that I believe your 'You Time' should possess...

1. You time = ALONE time
I hope this one goes without saying but it's kind of hard to be focusing on yourself with other people around.  Pick a time or place during the day that you know you can be in peace.  A great example of this is my mom's 'you time'.  Every Saturday and Sunday my mom sits out on her back porch (given the weather's nice enough) and has her coffee and breakfast.  My dad is a HUGE landscaping guru and my mom always says that she enjoys this time to herself in the mornings to observe her backyard and all of the hard work my dad's put into it.  She says this is a great way for her to remind herself of her blessings.


2.  'You Time' is enjoyable
Also, hopefully, another given, but you should always enjoy what you're doing during your 'You Time'.  One thing that comes to mind that I personally don't think is a great idea to spend your deemed 'You Time' is hitting the gym.  Remember what we're doing here.  We're CELEBRATING ourselves.  I don't know about you, but when I'm at the gym, I'm doing anything but celebrating.  This is a time to take a load off and relax

One person that I know for an absolute fact that enjoys his 'You Time' is my daddy.  Like I said earlier, that man has a green thumb.  He could probably make a silk plant come to life if he really wanted to.  He just loves to be outside and messing around in his yard. Like l.o.v.e.s. it. Ever heard of seasonal depression? You can thank my dad for that.  He invented it.  If it's too cold to be outside with his plants (and trust me, that's got to be pretty darn cold) he is just not a happy camper.  He'd probably never tell me this, but I think him being in the yard is a sort of therapy for him, and that's really what this is all about.



3.  You time is consistent

This one's the kicker, my friend.  'You Time' should be consistent.  Make it a point to schedule your 'You Time'.  Not down to the minute but at least set aside either an hour each day, or each week to have your 'You Time'. Why?  Because it's going to give you something to look forward to.

Listen, my 'You Time' is always in the evenings before I go to bed.  About an hour before I call it a night, I wash my face, get in my pjs, and do a bedtime yoga sequence via Youtube (you can find the sequence HERE and thank me later!).  I am the type of person that goes to bed at 10 only to have my mind start to slow down at 12:30, but ever since I incorporated my 'You Time' bedtime yoga, it has helped TREMENDOUSLY!

Trust me, when all I can hear is my 3-year-old screaming for french fries and Sesame Street, knowing that in just about an hour I'm going to 'check out' to the rest of the world keeps me going.  There are days that I'm wishing for it at 8 am and days I'm wishing for it at 8 pm, and then there's extra special days when it just sneaks up on me like a pleasant surprise, but regardless it's something I can anchor to.

When Emily M. and I lived together in college, I always noticed Emily would go for a walk around the same time each day (given the weather permitted it).  I never outright asked her why she was taking those walks until one day she mentioned that she walked so that she could clear her mind.

Don't we all need that?
To just let go of what's going on?  Just for an hour?
That's what YOU TIME is for!

 I really hope you'll start brainstorming and getting in the mind set of how you can start giving yourself some 'You Time'.  Already have a 'You Time'?  We'd love to hear it.. It might just be what someone else needs to hear!

Keep Celebrating!


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