Click here to access and print the 4-week Time-for-Me Challenge
Taking Time-for-Me is vital for mental and physical health and is an essential wellness practice. Personal time is easy to skip but just 15 minutes a day will help you reduce stress, reconnect, and recharge. Time-for-Me is just as important as every other item on your “To-Do” list. However, it is usually the first item to drop off the list.
Time-for-Me is important because it:
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Helps me reduce stress.
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Reconnects me with friends and family.
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Enables me to live in the moment.
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Recharges my personal battery.
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Helps me focus on the important stuff.
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Enables me to better handle “bumps in the road”.
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Increases my energy by taking a little time off.
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Helps my level of productivity.
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Gives me things to look forward to.
With this Challenge you will practice the habit of reserving 15 minutes of “me time” daily so you can become an even better team player at home and at work.
During the Challenge you will access resources from the employee well-being portal in the Wellness Initiatives
Week 1: Time to Reconnect
“Time for yourself is just as important as every other item on your ‘To-Do’ list." Anonymous
Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel unsettled or threatened or upset your balance in some way. Your body’s response to stress is its way of protecting you from potential harm. Prolonged periods of stress stop being helpful and instead can negatively affect your mood, relationships, health, and overall quality of life. Time spent doing our chosen activities enables us to recover from life’s daily demands and provides us with an opportunity to recharge. Humans are social beings — so let’s start with 15 minutes to reconnect with others.
Reconnect with important people in your life:
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Read or play a game with your children
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Spend time with your partner
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Talk with a neighbor
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Have a phone date with a friend
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Zoom or Skype with family or friends
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Write a letter or email to a friend or family member
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Connect with yourself by writing in a journal
Note: Time-for-Me does NOT include chores or doing things for others. The idea is to take a break from the busyness of life to recharge daily. The reward you will gain is reducing stress while reclaiming Time-for-Me.
Scheduling Time-for-Me is the most important meeting of your day. When you make a commitment to focus a few minutes each day on yourself you can recharge. Use your 15 minutes to reconnect with others, enjoy an activity, take a relaxation break, or engage in physical activity. This small investment in you helps to relieve stress, improves relationships, and contributes to a happier you. Use your Challenge Sheet to record your efforts in these areas to enjoy Time-for-Me.
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” Mahatma Gandhi
Week 2: Fun Time
“Personal time is always something to look forward to.” Anonymous
You may be saying “I just can’t find the time.” Here are some ideas of where to look for your 15 minutes.
Ways to find 15 minutes of Time-for-Me daily:
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Schedule time on your calendar for some personal time each day.
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Ask your members of your household to do the dishes, fold the laundry, walk the dog, and other chores.
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Learn to say, “Not now, I can help you in 15 minutes.”
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Learn to say “No” gracefully without stammering.
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Turn off electronic devices in the other room for 15 minutes and focus on Time-for-Me.
Many of us had a favorite activity, or several activities that we enjoyed as a child. Try them again…for 15 minutes. This small commitment to your health can reduce the effects of prolonged stress and anxiety that in some instances may lead to depression. It’s that important!
Note: Time-for-Me does NOT include chores or doing things for others. The idea is to take a break from the busyness of life to recharge daily. The reward you will gain is reducing stress while reclaiming Time-for-Me.
Scheduling Time-for-Me is the most important meeting of your day. When you make a commitment to focus a few minutes each day on yourself you can recharge. Use your 15 minutes to reconnect with others, enjoy an activity, take a relaxation break, or engage in physical activity. This small investment in you helps to relieve stress, improves relationships, and contributes to a happier you. Use your Challenge Sheet to record your efforts in these areas to enjoy Time-for-Me.
“If we don’t take time to slow down, our bodies will do it for us.
Take the time to slow down and enjoy the simple indulgences of life.” Anonymous
Week 3: Time to Relax
“Self-care is giving the world the best of you instead of what’s left of you." Katie Reed
There are many relaxation activities and techniques that can help you recharge.
These relaxation activities are evidence of self-care and self-compassion:
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Take a power nap
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Enjoy a bath
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Give yourself a beauty treatment
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Read a magazine or book
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Listen to an audio book, podcast, or relaxing music
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Recharge with meditation or yoga
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Practice mindful breathing
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Get out in nature
Mindfulness allows you to be in the moment and in addition to reducing stress, it enables you to expand your sense of joy. Mindful meditation is one way to practice mindfulness in daily living. The Sense and Savor Walk is a walking mediation that incorporates all of our senses to notice an experience. Through this meditation, you will discover things that you’ve never seen before or see the familiar from a new perspective. All it takes is 15 minutes of “Time-for-Me”.
Note: Time-for-Me does NOT include chores or doing things for others. The idea is to take a break from the busyness of life to recharge daily. The reward you will gain is reducing stress while reclaiming Time-for-Me.
Scheduling Time-for-Me is the most important meeting of your day. When you make a commitment to focus a few minutes each day on yourself you can recharge. Use your 15 minutes to reconnect with others, enjoy an activity, take a relaxation break, or engage in physical activity. This small investment in you helps to relieve stress, improves relationships, and contributes to a happier you. Use your Challenge Sheet to record your efforts in these areas to enjoy Time-for-Me.
“It’s not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and make your happiness a priority. It’s necessary.”
Mandy Hale
Week 4: Time for Physical Activity
“Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters.”
Margaret Peters
The positive physical effects of regular exercise are well documented and well known. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins. These are known as the “happy hormones” and are known to reduce stress and improve your mood. Just a few minutes of a chosen physical activity can make you feel better.
Physical activities to try that can be enjoyed in 15 minutes:
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Take a walk
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Work in your garden
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Shoot some hoops
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Play ping pong
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Play Frisbee
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Hula hoop to music
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Jump rope in your yard
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Lift weights
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Stretch
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Do balance exercises
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Do the 7-minute workout
Note: Time-for-Me does NOT include chores or doing things for others. The idea is to take a break from the busyness of life to recharge daily. The reward you will gain is reducing stress while reclaiming Time-for-Me.
Scheduling Time-for-Me is the most important meeting of your day. When you make a commitment to focus a few minutes each day on yourself you can recharge. Use your 15 minutes to reconnect with others, enjoy an activity, take a relaxation break, or engage in physical activity. This small investment in you helps to relieve stress, improves relationships, and contributes to a happier you. Use your Challenge Sheet to record your efforts in these areas to enjoy Time-for-Me.
“Allowing yourself to spend time doing things that you enjoy gives the body permission to set the ‘reset’ button.” Anonymous
Congratulations!
You have discovered new ways to Time-for-Me. You’ve tried different strategies and made adjustments I your schedule to find 15 minutes daily of “me time.” The choices of how to spend these precious minutes are vast. We hope that you have learned from the Virtual Exhibit, examined your habits, read the articles, and watched videos from the employee well-being portal, and found ways to enjoy Time-for-Me. Keep up the momentum by continuing to use the Challenge Sheet to make your new habits part of your everyday living.
“It’s precisely those who are busiest who most need to give themselves a break.” Pico Iyer
Click here to access and print the 4-week Time-for-Me Challenge.