Knowing when to slow down

For a lot of us knowing when to slow down and take some time for ourselves can be a challenge. I know for me being able to understand that I have just been doing too much and giving my time to everyone else can be such a challenge.

There are times when you are going to have to just slow down and understand that you have to be there for yourself and that is the most important thing. It might not be on a schedule that you want it to be on, but you still need to understand that you are going to have to slow down no matter what. It is better to see it coming up so that you can start the slow down before your body just says I have had enough, and you are slowing down if you like it or not.

For a lot of us there are things that we want to keep doing and you don’t want to accept anyone telling us it’s time to slow down even just a bit because we think we know better than anyone else, well including our body. There are times that people around us are going to see the warning signs that we are starting to deal with burnout before we know that we are dealing with it.

Being able to understand that we all need some time to just slow down and do some of the things that we enjoy doing, such as crafting, can make such a difference on how to handle the stresses and demands that life throw at us on a continual basis. In a lot of cases being able to set aside some time each week where we do something that we enjoy can help us from totally burning out and that is, so important.

For me, I make a point of a few days a week to find a little bit of time to do some crafting, so that I can make sure that I have taken some personal time. It doesn’t have to be hours but at least knowing that you have taken that bit of time away from the demands that we all deal with is important.

If you are someone that keeps going until you totally burnout, remember that just taking bits of time for yourself no matter what you do is important. I know people that will just curl up in front of the TV and binge watch something as their break. At least it is taking some time to do something that you enjoy doing and making sure that you are recharging your personal battery before it tells you it’s empty.

Making time

A lot of us have crazy schedules and there just doesn’t seem to be enough time to sit and take that time for yourself. What is very important is making sure that you do take that time for yourself and your loved ones because you never know when they aren’t going to be around to spend time with. When I am saying make time, I am not saying days and days, I am just saying is setting a little bit of time when you can sit down and relax and not worry about everything else that is going on around you.

For us, we try and take a bit of time each day when we can sit and chat about anything and everything. Of course, work is one of the topics that does come up, but we also make sure that we are chatting about other things that we have either seen or heard about. Making sure that the personal time has been achieved is very important.

Making time for your loved ones can also be a bit of a challenge because they also have busy schedules, so finding time that works for everything can be hard. For our families we try and make sure that we have either emailed, texted, or called, and then we set aside that bit of time when we can spend it together in person. With family not living close, it means that there needs to be more planning, but at least we make sure that we still find ways of communicating with them even when we can’t be together in person.

Making time even for yourself where you can do something that you enjoy is important. It doesn’t have to be a lot of time, but just that bit of time when you can forget about all the other demands on your life. For me, I have decided that I will try and spend 30 minutes each day doing something that I enjoy, and it has helped quite a bit. It gives me the time to focus on something enjoyable, but also that time when I can let the mind wander and see what happens. Making the time to do something relaxing is important, and spending time with those around you is also important. So next time when you are going to say, “I’m too busy”, remember that person that you were going to spend time with might not be there when you have the time.

Managing personal care

The idea of taking care of yourself when you are also a caregiver can be rather difficult. In a lot of ways, during this time, you sometimes put yourself lower down on the line and make sure everyone else is happy and safe. I know that for me, making sure that I take time for me hasn’t been something that I’ve been doing very regularly in the past. I have been a caregiver, first for my dad and now my mom. Note, neither of them has lived with me, but I am the one that they have turned to for assistance, and I’m also the one that takes them to all their medical appointments.

Being a caregiver can take so many different roles, it can be the person that lives with the person needing help, or it can be a person that is there whenever the phone rings. I am the person that is there whenever the phone rings and there to make sure that all the appointments have been kept and everything else is maintained at a level needed. I know this time is so different from the other journey we were on, but again, being a caregiver is the same in a lot of ways. The caregiver does give up a lot of their own time and energy to make sure that the other one is safe and taken care of.

During this time, I decided I am going to make sure that I do take some time for myself, even if it just little bits of time each day. Personal care means making sure you take the time to recharge your own batteries, both mentally and physically. Being sure that you take the breaks away and give some of the responsibility to someone else is important. Also, sharing some of the tasks and responsibilities is a good idea so that not everything is on one person.

I have been doing quite a bit of reading about dementia and being a caregiver for someone with dementia and one of the key things that they always say make sure you take time for yourself. Taking time for yourself is something that is very important, otherwise you were going to end up burnt out not being there for that person that really needs your help.

Taking some "me time"

There are times when you just need to step back and take some time for yourself. It doesn’t have to be a lot of time, but it does help you recharge your personal batteries. It can be a simple couple of hours of doing something that you enjoy, or it can be a couple of days when you take a mini vacation and do things that you enjoy doing.

The taking the time to recharge your personal batteries and different things can make such a difference on how you view things. Yes, it might mean that things don’t get done, and you have a list when you get back, but it can also help me move that list forward a little quicker because you have more energy to do just that. The time you take and what you do depends on you and what you need the break from. There are people that will go on hikes for two or three hours and that is their time to ignore their devices and just spend time clearing their head. Other people will go to a spa and take those few hours of relaxation to recharge. For me, it is going and getting in some good walks and doing things that I enjoy doing and seeing some scenery.

In the summer I find that I can go and sit on our balcony and watch the neighbourhood, and it is a great way to take that me time away from what needs to be done at my desk or even around home. The break for me is a time when I can start to think about all the different things that I would like to achieve, and then I normally can move them forward a little quicker after this break. In the summer, I normally have a simple craft project sitting by the balcony door that I can grab and do while I just take that bit of time to recharge.

Me time is something we all need, and it can be time with others or time alone, it doesn’t matter how you get it, but you need to ensure you get some of that time. The personal battery charge is important, and I know that after I have had that time, it is easier to be there for others as well. I have a little sign that when I need some “me time” even at my desk I can put it up to show that please don’t disturb me,
I am doing something for me.

Taking some me time is important for all of us, and even those little bits of time each day can make things so much easier to deal with.

How do you recharge your personal battery?

I have recently been listening to a bunch of people talk about how they find joy and what makes them happy. I am going to try and compare the differences as I see them. 

Being among people

For some people, being among others makes them happy, and it is their way to find the energy. I have seen people at conference who get extremely energized because they are around people that they can talk to.

A lot of these people are the ones that you are going to find out in the various clubs, as that is where they are happy. These are the people that in some cases have had a very hard time over the last couple of years dealing with the isolation and the restrictions that were put upon them.

Being alone

For some people, being alone makes them happy and that is their way of re-charging themselves. Being among people to them is exhausting, and they can’t wait to get back to their quiet place.

The people that enjoy being alone are the ones that you will hear that they can curl up with a good book and lose hours at a time just reading. I know that there are people that will spend weeks at home without going out even to a grocery store because they would rather not deal with people at all.

A combination of both

I think a lot of people are a combination of both types. There are times when being among people can help you recharge some personal batteries, and then there are times when being alone helps recharge the batteries as well.

I know that for me there are times when I do find a bit of energy being around people, especially when we are talking about things that we have in common. This seems to help me recharge that part of my personal batteries. I am also one of those individuals that also enjoys the alone time when I can sit and listen to some music and do something that I enjoy doing without being around others.

Summary

You will find a lot of people are a combination of both types or when they are out among people they will have the energy, but they are very happy when they can get home and hide for a while. In a lot of cases, you won’t know what someone is like most of the time because most people will try their best to fit into the environment where they are currently.

Yes, I know a few people that when they are out among people aren’t happy, and I know people that when they are lone aren’t happy. We are all different, and how we recharge our own personal batteries will vary. Understand what makes each person different, and know that what works for you might not work for the next person.