Why Taking Me Time is Important and How to To Change Your Life!

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Sure, the phrase “me time” has gotten thrown around a lot lately, and it seems a little bit cliche, but it’s really important to understand why me time is important. Women are really bad about giving, giving, giving until there is no more left to give. We are working hard, taking care of our kids (or our partners), and when the heck is there time to have some alone time for ourselves? Unless you make it a priority the answer to that question is never. That’s why it’s time you learned just how taking me time is important and it can change your life one day at a time.

When my kids were little, I used to feel the exact same way. At the time, I was working outside of the home, plus taking care of two small kids, and before I knew it the day had flown by and there was just enough time to throw myself into bed to grab some sleep and to start all over again the next day.

This cycle lasted for a few years, and it began to dawn on me that I was burnt out, overtired, and extremely unhappy. On top of that I wasn’t very pleasant to be around because I never had a true chance to unwind and recharge my batteries. If you would’ve asked me why taking me time is important, I would’ve had absolutely no clue what you were talking about.

One day I woke up and realized that I couldn’t remember the last day that I wasn’t stressed, yelling, or loathing getting up in the morning. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my kids and loved being a mom, but I was honest enough with myself to know that something had to give or you were going to find me rocking in the corner somewhere.

Rather than taking the martyr out of motherhood, I looked at it as “what kind of example was I being for my daughters?” Did I want them growing up not realizing why taking me time is so important? Did I want them to remember mom being cranky, stressed, and overwhelmed all the time? The easy answer was heck no.

It took a little getting used to over time, but slowly but surely I would take a little bit of time for myself each and every day. Sometimes I would sneak it in during nap times, other times I would treat myself to a nice lunch when I was at work, and other times I was just glad to get two extra minutes with some headphones on in the bathroom. (The headphones were a nice way to drown out the cries of “Mommy” when all I really wanted to do was to get two minutes of peace)

I began to celebrate the little moments that I could steal away to myself. It didn’t have to be anything elaborate, but it was something that I planned when I could. My favorite times were when I would travel for business. There’s something extra fancy about being about to spread across the whole bed without sharing, or ordering room service, or being in total control of the remote that made you feel like you were on a mini vacation. It was glorious. If there was ever a way to convince me that me time is important these little luxuries did it.

This glorious feeling is why I am super excited to announce that I am working with Hilton Garden Inn for their Bright Ideas campaign. See, Hilton Garden Inn gets it. They  know their customers look forward to those business trips for a little bit of me time, and they make sure that they are ready and waiting for you to enjoy a quick soak by the pool or relish that glass of wine during their cocktail reception. It’s a partnership made in heaven that’s going to help you see why me time is so important, and how you can find that work life balance to make your life rock.

My last business trip we actually stayed in a Hilton Garden Inn during the Pixar trip with Disney. It was so much fun to connect with fellow mom bloggers, and sneak in a little time to myself away from the family. Sure, the trip was for business, but during the year I end up looking forward to my business trips because it’s like a mini vacation, even if the only thing I do is sit in my room noshing on room service and reading a good book.

Still not convinced? Check out my top eight reasons why me time is important!

8 Reasons Why Me Time is Important

You are Important: Sure, you may SAY you are important but actions speak louder than words. You take care of everyone else’s needs, but your needs are important too. This is the number one reason why me time is important. So you know that it is ok to make you a priority, and YOU are important too!

Less Resentment: It’s totally normal for busy women to have moments of resentment. After all the giving they do during the course of the day, it would be hard not to when you aren’t taking care of you.  Most moms won’t admit it openly, but it’s ok to feel that way. If you take some me time, it gives you a chance to feel like you are taking care of yourself and finally making sure you aren’t always the very last thing on your to do list.

Less Stress: Ever have one of those days where everything is crazy, and if one more thing happens you feel like you might burst? That’s a super stressful way to live. We end up yelling at our partners and our kids more than we should, all because we never get a break. Just taking a few minute for yourself can be enough to break up all the chaos and let you recharge so you aren’t blowing your top.

Setting a Good Example: You aren’t neglecting your motherly (or partner) duties when you make yourself a priority. You are setting an amazing example, you will be showing your kids that it’s important to know your limits and take care of yourself. That was the most beautiful change that I saw when I learned why taking me time is so important.

Get to Know Yourself Better: A lot of times when we give all we have to other people, we can lose touch with who we are and what we stand for. So many women lose themselves to the role of mom, or wife for that matter. It can be depressing to realize we don’t even know who we are anymore. Taking me time gives you the ability to reconnect with yourself and figure out what makes you truly happy and what is important to you.

Better Relationships: When you aren’t burnt out all the time, you are able to think more clearly and that leads to better relationships. When you are refreshed, and feel like you can seize the day, you can communicate more effectively and know how to pick your battles. When you are overtired, everything can seem like a big deal and you rely on others to meet your needs for you which can put a lot of pressure on a relationship.

Date Nights Rock: Once you get started spending more time on you, you’ll realize that you start looking forward to it. It feels just as good as a big slice of your favorite dessert or after a long workout. One of my favorite author’s Julia Cameron shares in her book, The Artist’s Way, how having a date night with yourself is so important. After time, you’ll start getting creative with your dates  and realize without them you can’t function.

Better Health: There are so many health conditions out there that are heavily affected by stress. We learned a lot about this when our youngest daughter went to National Jewish Hospital for their Pediatric Eczema program, and since being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, I’ve seen very starkly how much stress can affect my health. No, you don’t have to have severe health conditions like we do to have stress affect your health. More and more stress causes even healthy people to become sick and tired. That’s why me time is so important, it lets’ you destress and that means a healthier and happier you.

Now it’s time for you to figure out why me time is important to you, and make sure to check out Hilton Garden Inn and how they can help you on your journey to treat yourself the next time you are on a business trip. It’s definitely one of my favorite places to stay!