Whether you are working or work from home,
whether you are a homemaker or a stay-at-home mom,
whether you are an activist or a retired professional,
whether you are a mother, wife, employee and/or a good neighbour
It’s time… it’s high time that you take out time for yourself!

As a woman, you have a thousand roles to play in a single day. Yes, men do too. But, this article is focused on women, so men need to read it just to help women in their lives get out of the guilt of taking out time for their own selves.

Right from the time she wakes up in the morning to the time she closes her eyes, Rikita is thinking about the people around her. Her mind is constantly thinking about what to cook for whom, are the clothes washed, dried and ironed, is the home-work done and a thousand other things. As a woman, she has been brought up as a caregiver, as a person who should put the requirements of others on a priority than hers. Like her mother, she feels guilty if something is not done in the right manner or at the right time. Her mind has been conditioned in that manner.

This is the story of so many women around us, who are not able to do something for their own selves. Taking out good 15 minutes in a single day for the purpose of introspection too becomes difficult. In this age of gender equality too, women are supposed to take care of the baby, husband, and the entire family without even uttering ouch. If you are someone who can relate to this, then please stop being so dramatic and take a step towards transformation. Here are a few ways that can help you take out time for yourself and that too, without feeling guilty. By the way, why should you feel guilty, when the time you have is designated to you to enjoy.

It is known as Investing Time

You are not ‘spending’ time on your own self, but you are ‘investing’ in it.

Think of this. You are not able to read that favorite article published in the Sunday newspaper for the past 2 days. You are postponing it for one thing or the other. Suddenly, your anger vents out on that expensive crockery and boom! It hits the sink and is broken in a state of no-repair (just like your anger). Instead of all this, just ask your husband to take care of the baby and lock yourself up in the room and read that article without wasting a single minute. It will be an investment – an investment that will help you finish your work faster (without thinking about the article) – an investment that will help you relax – an investment that will give you good interest in the long run.

There’s Nothing to Do, After This

As a woman, you are always thinking, “what next?” For a couple of days, take every hour at a time. Do not think about the future or say, following day. If you desire to cook something, do it now and then sit down to relish it, without thinking about the dishes to do. This will keep you stress-free and help you organize the clutter in your mind. It is not necessary to be a multitasking person every day.

Take a Sunday off

How to take a Sunday off? It is supposed to be off, right. I am talking about a Sunday wherein you do not do anything. This will be one step ahead of the thing I mentioned above. While you just finished off reading an article, why not plan to take an entire day off. Do not wait for Mother’s Day to take a day off. Make it a weekly habit. This would be a day when you do nothing, just nothing – not even cook, clean, or classify. Catch up on your sleep, books, movies, friends, or even food, whatever you wish to. Even train your family to do this.

This day should be designated to things that every person in the family likes to do. There would be no intersections – just individualistic living. This will help you build stronger relationships. After such a day, you will want to spend time with each other. A welcome break, isn’t it?

A Pat on Your Shoulder

Do not wait for someone to pat on your shoulder. Do it yourself!

As and when you complete an activity, feel good that you did it. If we expect people to appreciate us, it will only bring misery when they do not. Instead of this, you should be your own appraiser. Take pride in the things that you complete. Do not wait for perfection – even achieving it is a good thing, right? When you successfully achieve all the things that were supposed to be done, think of it as an opportunity to invest some time in yourself. This way, there would be no guilt of indulging in me-time.

Review Your Favourite

At times, you do not review your habits and end up guilty and miserable. Picture this. While you liked reading books before having a baby, but now, you like spending time watching a movie. So, when you invest your free time in watching a movie, you feel guilty afterward that you could have read a book instead. However, if you would have reviewed your hobbies, you would not have felt guilty.

Also Read: Stay Healthy During Menstruation Cycle – Foods that You Should Eat and Avoid

Above All

Live your life in the present. Thinking too much about the past or future only spoils the present. Guilt is something that you develop on your own; no one else is responsible for your guilt. Do not think about the wasted time in the past and stop being guilty of some me-time. It is an investment after all. Learn to stay happy.