Not Enough Time for Yourself?
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard this recently: “I don’t have that kind of time for myself.”
At first blush, this is very understandable. Simply the pressures of living are enough to keep one occupied from dawn to dusk. It seems as though more things pile on to our To-Do lists than go off of them. Something has to get cut out, but what is it? Is it the time you take for yourself?
For so many people, that is the first thing they give up. For those of us who are introverts and highly sensitive, this decision is self-sabotage. Let’s look what can happen to see why.
Imagine yourself as a paper cup full of liquid, which represents your inner resources. With each new thing you take on, punch a hole in the side of the cup relative to the size of the commitment or task. How many holes you have and of what size depends on what you are attempting to take on. How does your mental picture look?
You might feel how it affects you, too: that by taking on more things you get more tired, feel more frazzled and become stretched too thinly over what you have to manage. Help! What’s going on here? You are depleting yourself! Your cup could end up completely dry. And this is the self-sabotage place for we who are introverts and highly sensitive.
The sensible question becomes: How do you refill the liquid in your cup? Put another way, how do you renew your inner resources? By your own self-care routine and taking time for yourself. This is the only way your cup ever gets filled.
Now imagine your cup is overflowing with liquid. What happens in this case? You approach life with gusto, imagination, creativity, and seeing more options. You simply have more resources to use in any situation. You also cherish those resources more and discern the better spots to apply them.
That’s the power of taking time for yourself.
When there is not enough time for yourself, there is only one place to look for relief– at yourself. No one else will ask you to slow down or take care of yourself. It’s a precious gift only you can give to you.
Which way do you choose?
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I really like your blog and i respect your work. I’ll be a frequent visitor.
I read blogs on a similar topic, but i never visited your blog. I added it to favorites and i’ll be your constant reader.
As an inner-directed individual I’m frequently concerned about my time and activities that drain it. Sometimes I don’t take on projects, self-care routines, or even things I enjoy because of my concern that it will “take too much time.”
So I decided to do a “time audit” where I write down what I do and for how long, in order to get an *accurate* picture of how I use my time. Even after less than a week I can already see that I have *more* time for self-care and for those fill-up-the-cup activities. At least now I’m basing my decisions on an accurate view of reality.
Hi L.B.
Thanks so much for prividing a great suggestion to all those other folks who are in the same situation as you. This is a tactic I’ve suggested to some clients, too. You might even add to it a + and minus area that shows you what you are doing and whether it gives (+) or takes (-) energy from you. Watching those “gains” vs. “drains” can be a big help! Many thanks for commenting!
Thanks! Look forward to hearing from you in the future, too!