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Life In The Middle Today By Colleen Pulley

Put Some Quality Personal Time Into Your Life

We live in a time when we’re short of free moments, stretched thin, and torn between long hours on the job and meeting family needs. We often feel the stress of the many demands in our lives. The last person to get looked at is often the individual himself or herself. The stress and pressure the individual is under often leads to strained relationships, depression, isolation, and a sense that he or she is a failure.

There are more articles appearing in magazines about the need for people to have better control over their lives. We need to be able to put into our lives the right blend of responsibilities and activities to meet all our needs. This produces balance and harmony.

One way of doing this is to have outlets for ourselves. This allows us to do things we enjoy. We have time in our daily lives to unwind. This time helps refresh us. It allows us to go back to our jobs renewed. It revitalizes us. The time we spend in our families is higher quality too. This benefits not only ourselves, but others who are close to us.

There are many activities that would love to get some of our time and attention. A word of caution about some of them. An activity such as joining a gym or a sports league often leads you away from renewal and revitalizing, and simply becomes another demand on your time and energy. To some people, these type of things become commitments and are viewed as a form of work.

If you think this is the time to do something for yourself, you need to put some thought into this. Make sure you don’t end up turning it into another thing that fills your time, demands your energy, and eventually only adds to your stress. Ask yourself these questions before you commit yourself: Does it help develop me and create a sense of calm renewal in my life? Does it make me feel re-energized and revitalized? Does it make me feel good about myself? These are important things to consider.

It seems to me many women enjoy variety in the activities they do. I think that is one of the reasons more studies are finding a shift in attitudes. Women today want less work time, and more of a blend with their personal activities. The job is great, but they also want to take an art class, do some home decorating, take a cooking class, and spend more time with their little ones.

One recommendation is hobbies. This is any activity you do out of personal interest. Some time is usually required to learn some basic things and develop specific skills. Over time you become better at doing or pursuing your hobby. You end up doing something you enjoy, and in your spare time where there are no schedules. You can even make things for sale, but any money made is not needed to pay the bills.

I have observed that men seem to have less variety in their activities than women and have more difficulty developing a hobby. It would be a wise wife who would encourage her husband to take up some worthwhile personal pursuits. These should be activities he has some interest in. He could pursue a hobby like building bird houses, doing some art work, reading more books, or getting involved in family history.

Another outlet is service. There are libraries that could use a helping hand, and food kitchens needing volunteers. These types of activities help get your mind off the activities and concerns at the office. They also remind you that there are others who would benefit from your service.

Whoever you are, think about yourself, and set some time aside for you. It may be the most important thing you can do for yourself and those you love. Until next time... Colleen

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