‘Time for myself’ as an expression comes from English speaking countries and it’s getting more and more popular around the world. It refers to the time that we take off of our everyday lives to recharge, reenergize and regenerate. Another important criteria is that it should be spent alone, so strictly speaking the group activities – even though they can help us relax – do not count as ‘time for ourselves’.

Whenever we are in a group setting – no matter if we realize it or not – we are under some sort of pressure to appeal to the others, so we can never wind down as much as when we’re alone.

Time spent by ourselves – preferably offline – is extra important because it gives us the opportunity to relax deeply and clear our heads. We can get back to the challenges that we’re facing after, feeling refreshed, with a clean slate ahead of us.

A lot of people feel like they can’t afford the luxury of ‘time for themselves’ with all their responsibilities.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to take long. Half an hour a day, or if even that seems impossible, maybe just an hour a week of de-stressing could do plenty of good if it helps us turn off outside pressure and expectations.

So ‘time for ourselves’ isn’t only about fun, it’s also very useful, since we can transfer the benefits to our ordinary lives. Here’s how to do that:

For the people who are under constant stress, who have a million responsibilities and tasks in their everyday lives, the time they spend on themselves could be highly beneficial. As important as it is to have breaks during our workdays, the same applies to our whole week too. Time spent alone also enhances concentration, helps seeing things in a clear light and as a consequence, improves productivity. When we feel collected we can do more work under a shorter period of time.

The best ideas are usually born when we are not stressing too much about the solutions. In a paradox way, by helping us to take our minds off of problems and conscious thoughts, the ‘time for ourselves’ actually helps us in problem solving. During this time we let our deepest unconscious reveal what we truly need. As soon as the distracting factors are gone and thoughts become clear, we can focus on the organically formed ideas.

Since being alone allows us to completely relax, it is essential in calming our body and soul. If we’re not under non-stop stress and its negative effects, we are actually better able to handle the truly stressful situations when we’re faced with them. Learning to properly deal with challenges and having the ideal coping mechanisms to eliminate stress is particularly necessary for people under a lot of pressure.

Another benefit of ‘time for ourselves’ is self-understanding. If we learn to be our own friends, we become more aware of our needs and our true goals in life. We can see who we actually are, how we want to lead our lives and how to achieve our objectives more precisely. We recognize our resources and the ways to make ourselves happy and content.

We can take some me time even from our domestic lives, if our family allows it. If we choose to do that, it might be better to get out of our usual environment for a while and go for a hike, sit in a sauna, quiet down at a yoga class or have a session at a beauty salon.