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Frenetic Pace
With today’s modern conveniences
and gadgets designed to make
life easier, realistically we should
have more free time on our hands.
However Psychologist Devika
Singh indicates that instead we
are spending more time in the
car driving around, emailing
more people and spending more
time on the computer. “Instead
of using the time saved as a result
of technology for a self-focused
activity, many people tend to use
it as an opportunity to take on
more responsibilities than they
would like, some of which may be
avoidable,” she says.
Advantages
The advantages of making time
for yourself are that you will
feel more relaxed, better able to
problem-solve, more likely to
Making
Time
for Yourself
Most of us make time for our children, spouse, family, and friends.
Yet we neglect to spare precious moments on just ourselves.
HEALTH
examines why making ‘me-time’ is so vitally important.
think positively with an overall
enhanced quality of relationships
and therefore better overall quality
of life. Time is the only resource
we have that is limited and
equal for all. It is not renewable
therefore it is so important that we
make the best use of it. According
to experts, stress we feel manifests
itself in many areas of our lives,
from physically draining us of our
energy, our health, and our vitality
to mentally draining us of our
ability to make good judgement.
Making Time
Taking time for yourself is really
about self-care and is an extremely
important component to creating
the life you want. Leisure time,
says Singh, is important for a
career as well. “Several research
studies have found that a lack of
positive weekend experiences and
vacations affect overall mental
health, job, and life satisfaction,”
she says, and the psychological
effects of a weekend break means
an individual will experience
better mental and physical health,
and an increase in their level of
overall life satisfaction.
Daily Time
Experts advise that on a daily
basis, take 15 to 30 minutes to
think about wonderful things we
currently have in our lives, what
makes us happy, what we are
grateful for, and who we love. This
act alone can rejuvenate, energize
and focus us for the rest of the
day, helping us to make sure our
actions and thoughts are towards
what we really want and what’s
most important to us.
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May/June 2015