Do you ever stop and ask yourself if you are using your time effectively or not?
Notice I didn’t say “productively”. To me, effective doesn’t mean ‘getting sh#t done’. It means being meticulous and mindful about what feeds our soul, not just our pocketbook. Living life in recovery to the fullest means scheduling our time and activities to include self-care.
Getting clear on how much and how often to give ourselves time for self-nurturing and enjoyment are critical to ensuring our productivity long-term. There are only so many hours in the day and it’s up to us to decide how we want to structure those.
Often, many of us waste so much time doing things that have absolutely no meaning to us.
What we do with our time is often learned early in life. Some of us spend way too much time invested in other people’s happiness rather than our own. Some of us are overly selfish about our time and don’t consider others.
I learned to be responsible for others at a young age. I learned that hard work and helping others were more important than following my dreams or playing and being a child. For those reasons, I can still struggle with listening to an inner calling to rest, to indulge in what I want to do, and know that it is perfectly ok to have fun.
When active in my addiction, I could ‘waste’ time – for sure; but I could also give myself permission to have fun. Now, I have to find healthy ways to do that. Quality recovery depends on the balance of both self and other care.
Most of us who grew up in alcoholic, neglectful, or trauma-based families, are pretty good caretakers or people pleasers.
What we really need to learn is how to care for ourselves, without feeling like it’s selfish. Being ‘selfish’ at times isn’t a terrible thing. Do you say to yourself: “I never have any time for myself“; or “Let’s get to work. Why play when work is so much fun?” or “Now that my children are grown up, my time seems so empty. I don’t know what to do with myself.”
A balanced, healthy self comes from a deliberate sense of time structuring.
Most entrepreneurs, myself included, work hard and long hours. However, making time for recreation — for meeting with friends, for doing hobbies, for meditating, or getting out in nature — keeps us from abusing time.
We can learn to pay attention to our dreams and desires that create good health and happiness.
And then make sure we make time for these activities:
- Eating nutritious (home-cooked) meals
- Getting enough rest
- Connecting intimately with friends
- Spending time in nature
- Having fun – being spontaneous
- Having quiet time – getting to know ourselves
I hope you will commit to making one small change in your schedule to include a little extra nurturing for you. You are worth it!
Wishing you all the best,
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