The Gift of Time - One minute to self care

I love giving, There is something so uplifting in giving gifts to others. Often when people visit I give the gift of produce from our garden, eggs from our chickens or samples of my skin care creations or experiments. I love sharing the abundance. I love it so much, but not as much as the gift of time.

Spending time with others is vitally important in connecting us, with each other and within our communities. Around birthdays and Christmas events, when asked by my family, what would you like as a gift, I answer - Your TIME, that is the greatest gift you can give to me. But what about the gift of time to ourselves??

In years gone by, as a solo parent, I often left myself to the end of the list. I told myself I will give myself time later, once everything else is done. Once I have given to everyone else, and achieved all of the things on my list, finished the work. The problem here is that the lists are endless. There is always something else that needs to be done.

YOU are the single most important being in your own world. YOU deserve the gift of time, for yourself. Now, in my late 40's, I'm better at this. First I give myself some time, then I tackle the tasks, work, and give my time freely to others. I make it a priority to give myself one minute of self care, followed by 5 minutes of self care. Then I choose 20 minutes, one hour. This week, I gave myself a whole DAY of self care. And it feels amazing. The world did not fall apart and I am now better able to give to others. I feel connected to myself, refreshed and revived.

I don't have time for that, I hear you saying. Yes, you do!! Start by taking 30 seconds more to apply your face cream, close your eyes and mindfully take a moment for yourself. Play a favourite song to give yourself 3 minutes. Take 5 minutes of deep breathing. Drink your tea or coffee without distractions. Spend 20 minutes with a face mask on while soaking your feet in a bucket with magnesium salts. Take a 30 minute walk on the beach, barefoot.

Make yourself a priority, every single day. You deserve it.