One Hour: Invest in Your Happiness

     

       
              I have been on the look out for a few months on ways to make sure that I was spending enough time in my life on self-care and self-reflection time. I have tried many things, promised myself I was going to do dozens of other things and failed at doing them. So I took a deeper look within myself. What do I love to do, that I can do alone or in my own time/space? How can I create a time for just thoughts, my emotions, and me? As I began to look at those questions and start the process of answering them I found a fairly simple solution to my struggles with the follow through on the many self-care practices I have been taught and read about over the last few years. The one thing I had to do that I wasn’t doing was I needed to schedule it. I needed to write it in my calendar, set a reminder, and have my phone buzz at me non-stop until I did it. So every Monday, Wednesday and Friday my phone starts buzzing at noon and continually goes off until I close the reminder. I have made myself aware that I am not allowed to shut that “annoying” reminder off until I am actually sitting down, or taking part in the activity that I have set forth to do. I have come up with somewhat of a routine over the last week. I am fitting this one-hour of my time in between two classes and find it to be the most refreshing and often the most self rewarding hour of my day.  I have decided to share with you what I have done this week, what my routine looks like and share some of the benefits I feel from this hour of time.

The Routine I have been following:

Plug my phone in across the room

Make Tea/ eat fruit

5 Minute Mindfulness Meditation with calming music in the background (from the healing music app on my laptop)

 Put “Me” time play list on computer

Do activity of choice (One that has nothing to do with academics, social, or extra curricular activities. Activities I enjoy)

5 Minutes of quiet writing/reflection time

Go back to class

You may ask what some of the activities I do are so here is a short list of some I have done or plan to do in the future:

Play Flute

Take a Walk

Watch a movie/episode of a TV show I enjoy

Write

Take a shower/warm bath

Smash Journal

Short DIY projects

Blogging

Read a Book

            I have found this entire process to be rewarding and refreshing. I enjoy this time and now when the ‘annoying’ reminder comes up on my phone there is a sense of peace that comes over me.  I look forward to this time with my thoughts and can fully be present in whatever I choose to do that day. I allow myself to put the phone down. I can answer the emails and text messages when my hour is up, but for that hour of the day nothing can disturb my peace, thoughts, and time to check in and reflect upon myself. It has helped me to deal with my anxiety in a way I never thought possible. I can allow myself in that hour to feel and redirect negative thoughts into positive ones so I can continue with the rest of my day without feeling this overwhelming sense of dread about my fears, concerns, and worries. I have found inner peace through this hour out of my day. I thought I didn’t have time to do this before, “I am to busy, I don’t have time to do anything that requires me being away from technology and people”, well I can tell you it has made me a much happier, more free individual who has become much more productive. I challenge you to find time in your day to invest in yourself. Invest in your happiness and health. It’s a rewarding process and I can’t wait to see where it leads next.

Thanks for reading!!