Need a Break?
Do you ever just have enough of being with other people? Maybe you are an introvert and naturally need quiet time alone to regenerate. Or maybe you are a social extrovert but you have reached the tipping point and need to cool down from all the stimulating discussions. If you have been with your young children all week, or working at a computer from eight to five, you might need an evening with your most trusted friend.
If you periodically take a time out for you, you may resume your busy routine refreshed and regenerated!
Simple Steps to Make and Keep a Date with Yourself
- Recognize that you need some you time!
- Book a block of time on your calendar. “Play date for me.”
- Pick a fun, uplifting or regenerating thing you want to do.
- Look forward to and prep for this time for you! Gather supplies and arrange for a child or pet sitting.
- Schedule other things around your play date. Preserve it for you!
- Go do what you want in your designated time. Let yourself enjoy the flow of each moment.
- Notice how you feel and figure out how to give yourself more nurturing time. Repeat often!My; date to regenerate!
Check out my example below for one idea of how this might work.
From Behind the Scenes in My Life
Now and then I need to get out in nature — not too far out, but driving and walking in new territory. I need to soak in the grasslands, the vast skies and frequent lakes of central Kansas. The colors call to me!
Recently, I was hungry for hills.
So I booked a self-nurturing play date in my calendar three weeks ahead, My husband agreed to maintain the home front and manage our four pets. On a drizzly Saturday, I drove to Council Grove, in the Flint Hills.
Cattle in the Flint Hills.
Join Me
At seven a.m., I leave the Turnpike for a state highway. Rain showers punctuate my drive, but dramatic golden-white rays pour through the clouds. I drive into a canopy of light!
Grazing or resting, hundreds of Black Angus dot rolling green hills. Four calves lope playfully. Then I pass golden fields of glistening prairie grass, with occasional gem-like ponds reflecting the light. Sometimes rain peppers the ponds, with ripples running into chaotic ripples.
Place names intrigue me: Fox Creek Ranch, Division Ranch, Mashed Ranch. The town of Matfield Green. Strong City.
I get tea and directions from four old guys in a gas station and head for the big reservoir north of Council Grove. I miss my turn and drive several miles on a gravel road, then randomly choose a smaller gravel road and end up at a dirt boat ramp on the Neosho River above the reservoir. Two fishermen about to launch their boat think that because I drive a Mini Cooper, I must be hunting mushrooms!
The upper Neosho River.
Photos and Peace
But I am seeking photos and drinking in the peaceful day. In case you haven’t guessed, I am an introvert. I do fine socializing, but I simply must have frequent quiet time to restore my soul.
I wander along the riverbank until the path disappears, snapping a few photos. Then I follow the crunchy roads out at ten miles an hour. I find first-rate campgrounds on the banks of the large federal reservoir. This could be a safe place to camp one weekend. Exploring several more unpaved roads, I wind my way back to Council Grove.
I get almonds in the popular Dollar General store, then drive two blocks to the River Walk, a well-groomed park along the tamed part of the Neosho. I plop down on a metal bench to meditate.
From the River Walk in Council Grove.
Driving just below the speed limit of 65, I follow Highway 77 back through the Flint Hills, this time skipping the Turnpike. More healing green for my psyche! Arriving home around three, I feel alive and enthusiastic, refreshed and invigorated.
What Kind of Date Would Regenerate You?
Maybe you would enjoy a day-trip similar to mine, but maybe you have other favorite ways to reboot yourself. Do you need a day doing your favorite craft? Two friends of mine lose themselves in creative quilting. One does outdoor oil painting and another goes twice a week to a pottery making studio.
Do you thrive on meeting up with friends, or savoring time alone? If you cannot get away for several hours, can you take just one or two hours each week to rejuvenate your body, mind and spirit?
I now look forward to my twice weekly Tae Kwan Do classes because in working out and learning the martial art moves, I completely forget my writing and home responsibilities. I get out of my head and fully engaged in my body. Would an hour on a bike rejuvenate your spirit? Would an afternoon of gardening refill your reservoirs of inner peace? Would laughing with friends boost your flagging energy and your spirits?
Practicing my snap kick.
Give Yourself Permission for a Self-Care Date
I invite you to give yourself permission to care for yourself with a date for you time! And if you want to learn more about self-nurturing for your multi-dimensional, multi-faceted self, grab a copy of my new book, Nurture Yourself First: Gentle Steps in Personal and Planetary Transformation.