Peace and Quiet in Your Holidays

Fortune

The fortune in my fortune cookie read “give yourself some peace and quiet for at least a few hours.” I rarely give the fortunes a second thought, but this one resonated with me. This is slow down to Bump the Holiday Blues week. We are encouraging you to get through the holidays without losing it by sharing thoughtful self-care suggestions.

How much peace and quiet are you giving yourself this week? How much space did you give yourself today?

If you are like many of us, work tasks occupy your time from the moment you arrive until you leave. Once you leave your job, you have to deal with rush, dash and scramble of home activities. You probably wonder how to fit a break into your busy schedule. There seems to be little to no time to spend on yourself. Now, I am going to grate a little sandpaper here. Some of us equate busyness with being wanted. We feel indispensable when we are asked to do more at work and at home. The deepest wells can go dry if overused and not cared for.

Optical Illusion

Believing there is little time to focus on yourself creates an optical illusion. An optical illusion is a deceiving image that appears to be different than it really is. We can use time wisely or waste time. Slowing down allows us to use time wisely.

The Question

Begin to wisely use your time by asking yourself a simple question. Do I need to do this and do I need to do this right now? The question helps you to separate your actions into needs and wants. I define a need as anything that impacts your safety, security or stability. A want is something that enhances, enriches and enables.

Think of me time or self-care time as a need. Once you do that, you will have an incentive to create space for yourself to enjoy a little peace and quiet.