HOW TO SPEND TIME WITH YOURSELF

 

“You can’t always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside.” – Wayne Dyer

 

One thing I want to establish in this blog post is that… it is not selfish to want to spend time with yourself. Never let anyone guilt trip you into passing off your Me time as free time.

 

Before we proceed, I want you to pause and ask yourself these simple questions.

 

“When was the last time you checked in with yourself?”

“How often do you speak kindly to yourself?”

“When was the last time you put your own wants and needs as priority above others?”

 

I can bet a good number of us answered in the negative.

 

Spending time with yourself is a time to rejuvenate your mind, body and soul.

 

Being alone and enjoying one’s company shouldn’t be a difficult thing for introverts, but this can seem like a very hard thing to do for the life of the party extrovert.

Learning to spend time with yourself is very paramount because at the end of the day, after all the hustle and bustle, before your head hits your bed, who do you have that final thoughts with before zooming to Dreamland? Yourself!

People will always come into your lives and go, but the relationship you have with yourself is the one that will last you your whole life. Simply put, you cannot run away from yourself no matter how hard you try.

 

This is why it is pertinent to have the best relationship you can with yourself.

 

With that being said, lets delve into how you can spend quality time with yourself and enjoy it!

 

HOW TO ENJOY SPENDING TIME WITH YOURSELF

 

1. BE KIND AND COMPASSIONATE WITH YOURSELF.

 

If you’ve ever met an unkind and rude person, chances are that you never want to be caught in the company of such individual.

 

You should love and respect yourself with the same measure you want from others.

 

When you are alone with your thoughts, what kind of words do you say to yourself? Who are you when you are alone with yourself? Do you say harsh things to yourself? Do you beat yourself up for unimportant things or do you honour yourself?

For you to enjoy your own company, you must first learn to deal kindly and compassionately with yourself else you will dread the experience of being alone.

 

2. GET TO KNOW YOURSELF

 

When you meet someone you are interested in, one of the first task in that relationship is the “get to know yourself” phase.

 

This is where you get to know your favourite things, your quirks, interests, values and beliefs.

 

A lot of people don’t know what their personal values and beliefs are. They just go with the flow. But when you spend quality time with yourself, you will know what makes you whole.

 

When we master who we truly are, that is when we can teach others to value us.

 

Spending time with yourself avails you that opportunity to get to know YOU for who you truly are. When you do this, your self-worth will grow and no one will put you in a box where you don’t belong.

 

When you spend time with yourself, find out what you like about yourself, find out your strong points, discover your strengths and weaknesses and find out how you can down play those weaknesses to magnify your strengths.

 

Be mindful not to compare yourself with anyone at this point. Be very honest with yourself and don’t forget to pen down your thoughts.

 

Also try not to be judgmental when you make your discoveries. Life should not be that hard.

 

3. CHECK IN WITH YOURSELF

Next, check in with your inner child and find out what she loves.

 

There is always that inner child in us that wants to gain expression.

 

Sometime she can’t because of how people will perceive her.

This time alone is when you release that child. If she loves to dance, let her dance! If she wants to sing, let her sing! No fear of judgement or awkwardness.

Take time to observe your environment and appreciate the little things. This is the time to disconnect from the world and its business and connect to your surroundings.

 

Get in touch with nature. This can express itself with you going for a walk and just relieving the moments, planting and taking care of plants, smelling the flowers and marking memories with scents.

 

Find that experience that gives you the fondest Joy.

Have a hobby you love doing and do it during your me time.

 

This can be painting, knitting, sewing

 

For me I love sewing and embellishing fabrics with rhinestones and Swarovski elements. This is what I do for profit, but in my me time, I do it mindfully without deadlines.

 

It is during this time that I’ve been able to create a masterpiece.

 

4. STRETCH OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

 

The idea of spending time with yourself shouldn’t just be limited to the confines of your home. Or doing familiar things. Me times can be a time to be adventurous.

 

You can do things that you don’t normally do.

 

At home, you can try out new cooking recipes, you can try your hands on a new skill, or even do things that you normally wouldn’t do in the presence of other people.

 

Personally, I can be a very shy and laid back person in the presence of other people. But when I’m alone, I want to try out things that I would never think of doing outside.

 

During my me time, I try out my acting skills, I try doing my makeup like a professional makeup artist would. Even if it doesn’t turn out nice…well, who cares. I laugh at myself and keep moving.

 

Like I said, life is not supposed to be that hard. We can always have fun in the simplest of things.

 

5.      GIVE YOURSELF SPECIAL TREATS

Growing up in Nigeria, we were used to saving the special items for special visitors. We only brought out our special plates when we were expecting special visitors.   We cleaned our houses to the tiniest detail when we were expecting a special someone.   We only wore our special clothes for special occasion.   But who said that we cannot treat ourselves with the same measure and care.   Who said that we can’t give ourselves the best of things and experiences. I’ve come to realize that life goes by quickly, and the more we are waiting for that special moment, the more time passes by.   Give yourself a special treat. Make out time to really care for yourself without distractions.   Give yourself the finest of experiences and really live life to the fullest.   Don’t get too caught up in making a living that you forget to live!   I hope these tips were helpful.