Making time for you 😴
Hello dear reader,
Recently, I had one of my sessions with a group of CEOs and MDs. The chair was really keen to give a full introduction of me - something I haven’t really experienced before. It was much more detailed than the bio I usually use. Where were you born? What did your parents do? Do you have siblings? Where do they live, and what do they do? And one of the questions was: do you have any hobbies?
I said, I walk my dog, sometimes run with my dog, and more recently, I’ve started going swimming again. I read. I also said being with friends and family is a big part of my rejuvenation.
I thought this was a good answer. To be honest, it’s a much better answer than one I would have been able to give even a year ago because I’m definitely doing better in this area.
But he did look a bit disappointed in my answer. Like I didn’t really have any real hobbies.
Honestly, as a mum juggling teenagers, running my own business, having a husband that travels a fair bit, with parents to make time for, a larger family and lots of friends to connect with, and four trusteeships to be responsible for - hobbies can get squeezed out.
I bet they do for a lot of you reading this, too. It’s easy for the responsibilities of life, both the good ones and the more life-sapping ones, to take priority over what we need for our own sense of wellbeing and equilibrium.
Yes, we all know that we can’t give from an empty cup, but quite frankly, many of us don’t even know where our cup is, let alone check it to see if it’s empty or not.
And on top of this, how do we balance prioritising ourselves and being the kind of people that are there for others, too? Simply, how do we look after ourselves without being selfish?
In this week’s episode, we get stuck into this topic, focusing on a few key aspects:
Why we need to keep ourselves a priority, but be realistic about the season we’re in and what that looks like.
Why remembering the things we loved when we were young can be a key to finding some R&R as an adult.
Why we can’t keep blaming busy on everything.
Why we need to discover the real reason why we don’t prioritise ourselves.
Asking some big questions about our need to be seen as busy.
As usual, there will be an honest chat from me about how I’m failing, what I’m learning, and what I am doing to try and do better.
Before I sign off, I’ll leave you with a summary of the blog in a stat, a quote and a question.
1 quote: If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete. -Jack Kornfield
1 stat: Of the OECD countries, Norwegians have the highest amount of daily leisure time (369 mins) and Mexicans have the lowest (172 mins). Those of us in the Uk have on average 305 mins (305 mins?!!)
1 question: What did you love as a child that you could rediscover as an adult?
Love,
Hannah x