Do you make time out for yourself?

We all lead busy lives. And the one thing we never seem to have time for is ourselves. This problem increases everyday as we work harder to meet the challenges of the economy. Having and making the time are very different things. But unfortunately we cannot add an extra hour into our day.

There is no doubt that life is busy and it moves at a very fast pace, hence people and even families find it difficult to find time for themselves, because everyone is in a hurry  working more than ever. Though we all have the same amount of time, we have allowed the constant demands, pressures and responsibilities of life to dictate how our activities would be.
Are you able to make out time for yourself and how do you do it? The following are some responses from a cross section of people.
Vivian Anyanwu, a banker in her late 20s says: “Now that you asked me this question, I realise I don’t have enough time for myself. My job takes close to 12 hours a day for five days. During weekends I like to do my grocery shopping, cook and tidy my house thoroughly. It is like a movie that is being replayed over again. Although, once in a while I try to chip in extra fun activity like hanging out with my friends, but that is very rare, because we are all busy and want to utilise the little time we have on important things before the week starts. The period I have enough time for myself is when I am on my leave, that time I take a vacation and just have as much fun as I can because immediately I go back to work, I won’t have the leisure again.”
Nnenna Okoye, a hairdresser on the other hand said she makes sure she makes time out for herself and her children. “Despite my busy schedule, I always ensure that I have time for myself. Besides I am even self-employed, so I dictate the pace I do things. The only period when I can’t help it is during the festive periods, because then the demand is high and you want to satisfy customers. I love having time with my children, so when it is time to go home; I don’t allow anything to hinder that. There are some customers who would come when you want to close the shop; except the hair is one that won’t take my time, if not I won’t attend to them,” she said.
“I believe there is time for everything, a time to work and a time to also relax. No matter how much you work and hustle, you need rest. If not when the body would ‘retaliate’, you would have the compulsory rest that you won’t like. It is advisable that people learn how to create time for themselves,” Nnenna added.
Aishat Abdullahi, an administrator, said: “I always create time for myself, because I like to have my ‘me’-time: a time when I just sit down alone, relax, read or meditate. I don’t necessarily have to hang out, because it is a time just for me. Life is too short for one not to pause and reflect, hence no matter how busy and crazy work is; I ensure I get that ‘me’-time.”
Naomi Arnold in her blog, states six reasons why having a ‘me’-time is important. In her article titled ‘Six reasons why you must make me time a priority’. She says “by prioritising ‘me’-time, you will learn to just ‘be’ and to enjoy your own company. If you allow yourself quiet time, just for you, it can help you to get to know yourself better, to be more ‘in tune’ with your psyche and body, more self-aware and more open to self-growth.”