Me Days: Female Dealing with Stress

Tera Sanders (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Recent research has shown that women today are less happy than they have been over the past 40 years. There are many theories about why, but lack of free time can be a major reason.
Women today have been told we have it all careers, families, kids, community involvement, and relationships. But all too often having it all leaves us with no time or strength left for ourselves.

There's a tremendous amount of stress and pressure put on women: being parents, being daughters, mothers, wives, professionals. All of these roles combined leave many of us not taking adequate care of ourselves which is what sustains us and gives us the energy to take care of all these other responsibilities that we have.

Whether you're wrangling toddlers, sleeplessly waiting for your teen to come home, caring for your aging parents, or all of the above.Every woman needs an occasional break for sanity's sake. This means taking time each day to do something for yourself.

How can you make it happen? Don't wait for the time to just magically appear. It won't.

Try to find at least half an hour to an hour every day for you. It doesn't have to be all at once. And before you decide what you're going to do with the time you're building into your schedule, promise yourself that you won't waste it.

If You Have 5-10 Minutes

Sit on the porch with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. Or, just watch the clouds go by. No phone or calendar allowed.
Call a friend to chat. This doesn't mean planning the bake sale or organizing the neighborhood watch -- just talk, without an agenda.
Move. Get up from your desk, stretch, and walk around the block or up and down a flight of stairs.
Breathe deeply. While you're sitting in your office, car, or home, focus on breathing slowly and gently for five minutes. It's OK if your mind wanders a bit, but don't start planning what you have to do next -- just follow your breath.
Pet your pet. Focus for five minutes on cuddling with cat or dog. You'll both feel better.
Put on your iPod and hit shuffle. Then just sit and listen.

If You Have 15-30 Minutes

Read one chapter of a book you've wanted to make time for. Keep a basket in your office or living room with a good book, magazine, crossword puzzle, or other short escapes.
Find a nearby park and go for a brisk walk.
Putter. This doesn't mean cleaning the house or organizing your kids' clothes. Instead, it means doing little things at home that you enjoy, like trimming the rose bush and putting together a bouquet for your office or kitchen.
Soak in the tub. If you're a parent, make sure another adult is on duty to make sure no one's going to yell "Mom!" Plan so you'll have some fabulous bath goodies on hand. Don't forget a glass of ice water or wine.

Add your own favorites to these lists. Whatever you choose to do with your "me" time. Make it relaxing and restorative. If you don't feel like it works for you try something else.

"'Shoulds' are the enemy of relaxation. Don't think about what you should do, but about what makes you thrive."