‘Me Time’ before ‘We Time’- The Importance of Me Time and Why It Matters?

We all have crazy lives — daunting work-life, formidable commute times, exhausting household chores, preposterous digital addiction and hobbies, to name a few, taking over much of our time and mind space leading to quick burnout. Under such circumstances, stress and anxiety can seep in clandestinely and hamper our productivity, both at work and in our personal lives. And here lies the importance of taking time for yourself. You have so many things to take care of that leave you with no time to attend to your needs. While you know that making time for yourself is important to your wellbeing, are you getting enough? As you are increasingly getting devoid of finding time to enjoy your tranquillity, understanding the importance of me-time is critical to your overall well-being!

While humans are innately social animals, and the concept of me-time may sound uncharacteristic, sometimes you need to disconnect from the world to feel your real self and let your worries dissipate in oblivion. There is nothing wrong with spending time with yourself and putting yourself before others. In fact, it is normal to recharge yourself, align your perspective with your purpose, understand your inner emotions and de-stress yourself. And no one shall have the right to make you feel guilty about making time for yourself! After all, indulging in self-care practices is all about taking care of yourself to make yourself happy! 

What is me time?

Me time is nothing but the time a person has reserved to do something for their own enjoyment and well-being. Me-time means taking time for yourself and attending to yourself. It may mean doing absolutely nothing and just lying down, simply sipping tea on your balcony, or going for a jog. Every person has their own way of enjoying me-time. But me-time doesn’t mean spending the entire day at the salon or spa. Squeezing a few minutes in your day works fine enough. The importance of me-time lies in the fact that it helps you to rejuvenate by helping you make the most of your time for yourself regardless of the duration! 

The importance of taking time for yourself

As I iterated, your mental and emotional health is of paramount importance. You may find it difficult to focus on yourself due to familial obligations, expectations or work pressure. And in no time, you may feel that you are losing a sense of control over your life and your time, making you feel helpless, powerless and trapped. And if this becomes a daily part of your routine, it becomes your way of life and can make you feel hopeless about your life aspirations and even dreams. It is certainly not a great situation to be in. But if you realise the importance of taking time for yourself, you can avoid falling into such a trap and even come out of it. 

So, the first thing to do when you realise the importance of taking time for yourself a.k.a me-time is to create time for yourself. You should stop being harsh on yourself by giving yourself some personal space, taking breaks and learning to say no. Perfect this practice of making time for yourself and make it a habit. And as you do so, you will feel less overwhelmed and stressed. It will set you free, make you happy and be more productive during your days. In fact, you will become more considerate and connected to your inner self. 

Why me-time is important? The importance of me time

Me-time is important for various reasons, such as your mental and emotional well-being. It helps you reconnect with your inner self and nurture your relationship with yourself, which we often ignore or are not aware of! Me-time gives us an opportunity to think clearly, navigate our past, work on our present and take steps to build our future. What else can you ask for? Apart from these things, the importance of me-time lies in the following facts:

1. It helps reboot our brains
2. It helps us unwind from daily chores
3. It improves our concentration 
4. It makes us more productive
5. It gives us the opportunity for self-discovery
6. It helps us contemplate and come to terms with our inner-conflicts
7. It aids in problem-solving
8. It enhances our relationships 
9. It gives us time to become more self-aware
10. It helps us to think more clearly

So, if you want to succeed in your life, be it work, relationships, family or your general wellbeing, you need to first fall in love with yourself!  Me-time can help you rediscover who you really are and help you become who you want to be! It is your best bet to eternal peace and happiness! 

The importance of me time in a relationship? 

Why me-time is important in relationships? Do you know that studies have found that lack of me-time, privacy or personal space in relationships can become a bigger cause in unhappy marriages than a less satisfying bedroom life? And 29% of the spouses feel that they do not have enough privacy or time for themselves in their relationship. Can you beat that? Me-time is important for the emotional and mental well-being of the partners in a relationship as it helps them heal, contemplate and think clearly. It helps the partners rejuvenate, think through and come to terms with their conflicts so that they can process the same and contribute positively to their relationship. Me-time holds the key to a happy relationship.

But when we are in a relationship, it becomes extremely difficult to find time for ourselves! Relationships make it almost impossible to make some alone time or even vocalise the need for it! Moreover, people in relationships overlook their true feelings and masquerade the same, only to fail in the long run! They forget that a healthy relationship gives enough personal space to each other without having to ask for it and without inviting any judgement. So ask yourself: is your relationship giving you enough time to attend to your personal needs and respects the importance of your me-time? If it is not, then you should speak to your partner, make me-time a part of your daily routines, encourage your partner to have the same, and break this loop!

“A relationship gets stronger now that you factor in plenty of me-time”

Why me-time is important for families?

Stress can cause you to detach yourself from your family members, and you do not want to do that. Stress can also cause depression, mood swings, and anxiety. These things are certainly not good for you and your family. So how to reduce stress? Among other things, spending quality me-time with yourself reduces your stress significantly and makes you a happy person. And as a result, you become more welcoming as a person, and it shows in your interactions with your family. Also, everyone in a family needs their own me-time. Not only the husband and wife, but the kids also need their me-time. It leads to the better mental health of the kids, and parents too.

But do families get enough me-time? Well, the answer is no. Families do not get enough me-time. Also, the me-time gender gap is wide for parents, with women getting fewer hours to spend on themselves as compared to men. And this ratio is 25 hours versus 28 hours for women and men, respectively. And moms spend an extra 10 hours per week multitasking between children, household chores and work as compared to men.

Apart from this studies have shown that leisure time like riding a bicycle, sports, reading or just sitting idle boosts the brains of the little ones. So, me-time is important for kids and their development too.

Importance of me time at the workplace?

Work can be demanding, and for many of us, work can be overwhelming. So how to deal with the work pressure and come out of it successfully? Well, me-time is the answer as it helps us unwind and recharge our brains. The way we take power-naps to recharge ourselves, we need some quality me-time to recuperate and be more productive.  

And one to get me time at the workplace is to take short breaks and have quality me-time rather than focus on quantity. Quality me time does not mean that you have to be alone all the time to enjoy your me-time. It means that you squeeze out some time for yourself and do things you want to do. For example, you can take short breaks, listen to music and sip coffee as you watch the green spaces. 

So, if you want to succeed in your professional life, peer relationships, work productivity, and overall work wellness, you need to understand the importance of me time and take out some quality time from your hectic work schedule. 

When you focus on getting a quality me-time at the workplace, it leads to

1. A better work-life balance 
2. Greater wellbeing at work
3. More engagement at work
4. Better relationships at work
5. Enhanced work productivity and efficiency

How to spend me-time? Tips for me-time

While there are many ways you can have all time by yourself like soaking in reminiscence or enjoying your mani-pedi, here are my favourite ways to spend me-time:

1. Watch TV, YouTube or online streaming videos on Netflix or Hulu.
2. Call a friend or speak with your bestie.
3. Take up recreational activities like jogging, painting or dancing. 
4. Indulge in hobbies and create something like DIY stuff. It is the act of creating something that matters and not the end result.
5. Spend alone time sipping tea or coffee and treat yourself with some quality me-time. I wake up early and enjoy a warm mug of tea on my balcony as the morning zephyr fiddles with my hair, and the dawn is about to crack. 
6. Treat yourself out at lunch or dinner. It is a great way to break the daily monotony of life. I love sitting in cafes watching people, reading my favourite book, and catching up with my friends over. 
7. Write your diary. Write down your feelings, emotional state or anything you feel at the moment that strikes your fantasy.
8. Go to the cinema alone. Be a mysterious stranger watching the movie alone without having to worry about sharing your popcorns.
9. Pamper yourself at the spa. Head to your favourite spa, indulge in deep tissue massage, get your mani-pedi done, or indulge in therapeutic facials! It is one of my best ways to spend my me-time.
10. Take a nap. Enjoy the fluffy bed by simply lying down, even if you are not sleeping. Taking a power nap is a good idea. Make your sleep time your me-time. And to have a good sleep, practise abundance and gratitude through your prayers or journals. 

How to find time for me-time?

Now you understand the importance of me-time, you can try the following hacks to find your own me-time:

1. Wake up 30 minutes earlier than your family.
2. Unplug from your gadgets for some time.
3. If you are in the office, take your lunch in the office terrace garden during the break.  
4. If you are working from home, take your lunch to your society park to break the monotony. 
5. Do not forget to make monthly dates with yourself. 

An insider tip: Use your me-time wisely by investing in a good book, a musical instrument, sports equipment, a video game or other products which gives you experiences (as opposed to purely material goods). When you do so, you feel more competent in your life. It also helps you feel more connected to others.

How to ask for me-time?

Yes, you know the importance of taking time for yourself, but how do ask for me time? More importantly, how do ask for me-time and personal space from your partner without offending them or raising eyebrows? Here are a few tips for asking for me-time:

• Do not be direct and say, ‘ I need some space or me-time.’ In fact, you can say that you like to read some books insolation or spend time jogging in the part to rejuvenate your mind. Do not make it about them, make it about yourself.
• Rephrase your words. Rather than saying we have to spend time with kids say that we get to spend time with kids. Make it more like play than a responsibility. 
• Explain to your partner why me-time is important, and how it makes you happy and is good for your emotional health. 
• Encourage your partner to have their own me-time. Once they start liking it, they will become encouraging too. 
• Take some me-time together as a couple. It will help you bond and connect again. And your partner will become more understanding towards your needs as well. 

Why to ditch the guilt when enjoying me-time?

Remember that making time for yourself and attending to your needs has nothing to do with putting others down. In fact, it me-time prevents you from burning out. It helps you heal and evolve as a person, to become a better parent, partner, child or friend.

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