At Girl Scout Camp, both when I was a camper at Wiedemann in Kansas and when I worked at Greenwood in Minnesota, the hour after lunch was designated as "Me time." This was a period where everyone, from the 6-year-old camper to the nurse, was to be quiet and still. You could sleep, draw, read, write, daydream, or do just about anything that could be done while staying quiet and still. I think the Girl Scouts have it right with this practice. How much more calm would people be if everyone had an hour of me time daily?
The idea parallels something I believe in encouraging in therapy - self-care. Almost every client I saw came to therapy feeling completely overwhelmed. That's generally when people decide that therapy might be a good idea. So what better place to start than saying hey - take some time this week to care for yourself. Take a long bath, go to the library and find a quiet corner to read your favorite book, sit outside in the sun - the list is nearly endless (and is provided to clients for ideas).
Have some me time today. It helps me to reflect, to review all of the little annoyances and let them go, to find my center. Sometimes it helps me catch up on missed sleep.
Oh and before I go... what do you think about blogging as me time? TV-watching certainly doesn't count and I don't think video games or the like would count either... but blogging is good for you. Any thoughts?
The idea parallels something I believe in encouraging in therapy - self-care. Almost every client I saw came to therapy feeling completely overwhelmed. That's generally when people decide that therapy might be a good idea. So what better place to start than saying hey - take some time this week to care for yourself. Take a long bath, go to the library and find a quiet corner to read your favorite book, sit outside in the sun - the list is nearly endless (and is provided to clients for ideas).
Have some me time today. It helps me to reflect, to review all of the little annoyances and let them go, to find my center. Sometimes it helps me catch up on missed sleep.
Oh and before I go... what do you think about blogging as me time? TV-watching certainly doesn't count and I don't think video games or the like would count either... but blogging is good for you. Any thoughts?
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