...of Quality Time for Yourself

CTC Readers' Poll:
Making Time for Me

 In the February 12, 2008 issue of the newsletter, Counting the Cost editor Nancy Twigg asked readers this question:

"What are some of the creative ways you have found to incorporate ‘me time’ into your busy schedule? How do you find time for yourself in the midst of caring for everyone else in your family?"

Responses:

"Believe it or not, I go to bed at 8:00 p.m. I am a single parent and my son is about to turn 19 years old. He is very independent and solitary just as I am. I don’t stay very busy. There are times when things get hectic but most of the time things are quiet. I’m probably a rarity. " ~ Diane

"Although I do enjoy time for me occasionally, I find it leaves me irritable and not at all refreshed if I approach it in the wrong way. This seems to be the case if I seek out and insist on the time as right, rather than receive it as a gift of love from my husband or children. Attitude is everything! As a busy homeschooling mom of a daughter and five sons, I do need time to reflect and regroup, but if I am chaffing at my responsibilities, I do not find 'me time' rewarding." ~ Esther in Nova Scotia


"At our house, 'me time' in the winter might be spent on the computer keeping in touch with my friends, enjoying a book and a leisurely bath, or sitting down to play the piano. When the weather gets nice, outdoor activities take over---gardening, tending the flower beds, and best of all, spending time with our horses, or going for a slow ride through the fields. Because my job involves (sometimes) intense emotional interactions with others, anything I am able to do alone (not counting my horse, of course) is very relaxing." ~ Brenda


 
"My co-worker and I have to stay late several days a week. We are teachers and I working on an extra project. So after the students have left we have started staying and doing about 30 minutes of exercise before going home.  his gets in a little workout and a time to relax. It's a little time to ourselves and we don't talk about work. I then have a 30 minute drive home, and I just discovered that I love to listen to books on tape on my way home. These are just a couple of ideas." ~ Karen

 


"I'm married and have no children (except 4 pets). I work 40 hours a week and my husband is self-employed so he works from home. From what I read, I know a lot of your readers have very hectic schedules and must think that I should have all the time in the world to myself but I don't. I meet 11 people in the mornings to vanpool to work, work all day with co-workers, then vanpool home in the evenings. Overall, my commute is about 2 1/2 hours. When I get home, my husband is there to greet me which is usually nice. However, my husband is bi-polar and it's hard to know who I am coming home to most evenings. If I take any vacation time (which I use to do home projects), when I am home he is there. My 'me time' is usually in the car driving to/from the vanpool meeting place and Sunday mornings at church. I cherish those times (and sometimes drive myself to work just to have more 'me time') to think, to pray, to cry, to sing or to just turn my brain off. Thank God for Christian radio!" ~ Stephanie


"I consider myself a stay at home mom, but I do watch 2 kids through out the week for one family, and I clean a couple companies on Monday nights. My husband is very lucky to have a job that provides him with 45-60 hours a week. That is a big blessing, but for him to watch the kids so I can have 'me time' would be hard. Recently we have purchased a family pass to the YMCA where my-three-year-old goes to a gymnastics class, my two-year-old plays in the childcare they provide, while I can do some working out for myself. This is great since I was feeling less confident about myself after two kids and the 50lbs that I had gained. I have found a friend from church and we just go and walk or try a class that they provide free with a membership (which is very inexpensive). ~ Kate

 

Editor's Note: Thanks to these readers who took time to write!

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