BENGALURU: When was the last time that you sat down with a cup of coffee or tea, not thinking about the sink full of dishes, or an overflowing laundry basket, or whether the kids finished their meal and cleared up their mess?
Most of us in this generation are guilt-ridden moms. We forget to consider how multitasking affects our well-being. Even if we plan to take a break, the pandemic has blurred the distinction between holidays and work hours. This especially affects women, who feel the burden of being a superwoman, juggling multiple roles. Though most of us are pros at multitasking and managing personal and professional work, we must also make sure that we focus on giving ourselves a break.
Our lifestyle has become so monotonous that we are lost in the daily routine and forget to take some time out for ourselves. This is where the concept of mindfulness comes into the picture. Neha Verma, a clinical psychologist (HOD) at Fitterfly, a digital therapeutics company, while emphasising the importance of mindfulness, says, “We are so caught up in the rut of life that we often forget to understand that we need to go slow to move fast.
We live life as though there aren’t enough hours in a day, but if we do each activity calmly and carefully, we will get it done quicker and with much less stress. Living each moment can make you feel fresh and relaxed and will increase your productivity as well. However, it is also essential to take a break from your routine to recharge and rejuvenate. The concept of me-time needs to be reinforced in our lives to help us both cope and flourish.”
Here are a few things that you can do:
Calm yourself
Make deliberate space for me-time in your daily routine. It may be just 30 minutes but it should be clearly defined so that you and everyone knows it’s your time.
Plan your work
Make a list of things to be done, organise your day. Daily chores are taxing, so keep aside your work for some time and engage in something that will calm your mind.
Take time out for activities that make you feel relaxed
Somethings like cooking, reading a book, listening to music, watching TV or sipping a cup of coffee...indulge yourself during the 30 minutes you set aside.
Fitness
Involve yourself in some kind of activity. Go for a short walk or run. Even a dance session or a walk in the verandah can be therapeutic.
Self-care
Add a self-care routine to pamper yourself every day. Paint your nails, use a gua-sha, slap some cream on your arms or just add bath salts and have a candlelight bath routine.
Gratitude journal
Rate your happiness by writing about all the good things that happened to you and you will be amazed to see how these 30 minutes of me-time can increase your happiness index in just a month.
Anuja Pandey
(The author is social media influencer @loftyspectrums and lifestyle coach)