Health - Fitness

Searching For Your "Me" Time?

You want it, you need it, you know you deserve it -- here's how to find some sanity-saving moments for yourself

By Francesca Castagnoli , Babytalk
 
 
See Also
Preserving your sanity is a lot easier than you think - Parenting.com
These moves make it easy to make a mental health day for you - Parenting.com
confessions - Parenting.com


Share

Kimberly Sam has her idea of "me" time down -- it's whenever she gets to be by herself. "My husband will take the boys out and I'll stay home and choose what I want to do. Sometimes I'll sit back and watch TV, read a book, or sleep. It's 'me' time because I choose what I do, even if it's nothing," says the Silver Spring, Maryland, mom of Andrew, 6, and AJ, 14 months.

Admitting to myself that my hair and waxing appointments didn't meet my real "me"-time happiness quota posed a dilemma. I needed to have that stuff done, but I also felt like I wanted a just-for-me activity. "The biggest challenge most moms face is insisting on 'me' time," says Laura Stack, author of The Exhaustion Cure. "If you wait to give yourself time until all your work is done, you'll never get to play." Stack thinks women should feel more comfortable dividing up responsibilities at home and then following through on their "me"-time plans. "It can be a challenge at first, but think about how fun the payback will be once you get used to it," she says.

Erin Acosta, mom of Samantha, 2 1/2, in Orange, California, regularly schedules in her "me" time: "I try to have time alone about once a month -- okay, sometimes two months, if we're being realistic. My favorite 'me' time is when I go out shopping without anyone in tow. I don't have to talk to anyone, I can wander store aisles for hours, and I can try on fifteen outfits without feeling rushed."

Inspired by Rule #2, I talked to my husband about staying home with the boys on Monday nights so I could join a book club a friend was starting. According to Stack, my instincts were spot-on. "Making time for activities that you can't do when kids are around helps you remember who you are as a person beyond being a mother," she says.

A book club felt like ideal "me"-time material. It required that I stop making my to-do lists and become engrossed in other people's lives. Claudia Olmedo, mom of Delta, 9 months, in Maylene, Alabama, agrees: "Reading is when I can get myself lost in a story, without thinking about what I forgot to get at the store or that I need to load the washer again. Even if it's ten minutes, it's paradise."


PRINT

Comments

No comments yet. Log in or register below to be the first.
Quick Poll

When was the last time you bought yourself something pretty, just because?

This week
This month
This year
A luxury just for me? Ha!


ADVERTISEMENT
Popular on Parenting.com
Popular on Parenting.com
 
Photo Galleries

30+ Easy Ways to Pamper Yourself

Treating yourself can be cheap (even free!) and fast if you follow these relaxing, refreshing tips for mom

promotion
 
Holidays

St. Patrick's Day Crafts

Easy St. Patrick's Day crafts you can make with your kids

Blog: Project Pregnancy

Jennifer Johnson: "'This one tastes like Sprite and this one like orange soda.' That's what the nurse told me before I made my choice on what flavored drink I'd rather down for my gestational diabetes test... Or the test which will tell me if I'm to give up yummy sweets among other things for the remainder of my pregnancy." Updated frequently!

Blog: The Parenting Post

Daring Young Mom: "For the cost of $10 and a trip to Target I have redeemed myself from laundry hell by purchasing 10 pairs of identical white socks in Wanda's size and getting rid of all but a few VERY distinctive special occasion pairs. I can't believe it took me 6 months to get to this point but it feels wonderful." Updated daily!

30 Brand-New Birthday Cakes

ALL NEW! Super cute and easy birthday cakes you can make from store-bought cake, frosting and candy
Health

19 Famous People with ADHD

Justin Timberlake, Will Smith and 17 other celebs with ADD or ADHD