15 Ways to Avoid Burnout

This time of year is all about go go go! You have family obligations, shopping, cleaning, cooking, creating, and running your business.

Accomplishing anything is more difficult if you are running on empty. As you know, you accomplish more when you are rested and not feeling crazed.

Over stimulation and being over scheduled  are a recipe for burnout.

Here are some easy ways to relax, recharge, and rejuvenate during this busy time of year.

1. Take a nap

2. Take a walk

3. Visit a museum

4. Put on some music

5. Write in your journal

6. Take yourself on a date

7. See a lecture or speaker

8. Repair or mend something

9. Go through your inspiration folder

10.Work on a puzzle, do sudoku or a crossword

11.Paint something

12.Watch a funny movie - for a good laugh

13.Find a new trail to take a walk on

14.Enjoy a relaxing bath

15.Visit a park, church, or store you always wanted to visit

Whatever you decide to do take a little time for yourself this season to avoid burnout.

What do you do to avoid burnout during the holidays?

Don't Forget the White Space

I don't know where the time went, but the holidays are here again and it's that time of year our calendars start filling up.

We have our creative work like craft shows, online sales, and marketing, as well as all the things we do to prepare for the holidays.

It is important to remember to make time for yourself by adding some "white space" to your calendar. A small block of time to relax, read, and do those thing you never give yourself time for this time of year.

So, as you are planning your next couple of months, don't forget to add in some daily "white space" just for you. 

Do you have a full calendar during the holiday season?

Share this Self-Love Saturday tip to your social network.

Sleep In

It's the weekend, and for some reason we seem to be as busy on the weekends as we are during our work week.

The best part about the weekend is that we don't have to get up super early to get our day started. There is no reason you can't take a day and sleep in late, hit the snooze button, roll over and take that extra half hour. 

All your errands will wait an extra half hour as you enjoy some quite time to yourself.

I love Saturdays, because it's the one day I wake up and just lay in bed and enjoy the quite while I watch the birds and squirrels play in the trees outside my window. I have gotten some of my best ideas during that quite time in the morning.

Commit to yourself that one morning you are going to sleep in late, to enjoy some relaxing me time.

How often do you sleep in late?

Share Self-Love Saturday with your social community.

Step Outside

When you are having a busy day or just need a break, if the weather permits, step outside and for some fresh air and warmth from the sun or a cool breeze and a glance at the stars.

Even if you just have 5 minutes, spending those few minutes outside is a great way to recharge, regroup, and get inspired.

Enjoy your day!

DIY Friday - Creative Alone Time

Embracing Harmony Week has been a week full of ideas for finding time to yourself to relax and recharge. Today I have a list of things you can create for enjoying your Me Time.

How to make the perfect cup of tea

Make your own journal

Bake yourself some lemon and blueberry scones

Let the scent of lavender relax you

Create your own tote bag for your day trip

Everything you need to know for creating a relaxing space just for you

Now that you have lots of ideas for creating enjoyable Me Time, it's time to start adding Me Time to your schedule.

How much Me Time will you be adding to your schedule this summer?

Join the Conversation

Join The Conversation is a series, of community conversations about inspiration, creativity and business. Every new post will have a question and responses from bloggers in our community. Then, you the reader, will have the opportunity to answer the question in the comments. I look forward to having you Join The Conversation!

With Embracing Harmony week ending tomorrow, I would love to hear your thoughts. Take a few minutes and Join the Conversation.

Question: When you are able to find a little time for yourself, what do you like to do?

Annette - It depends how much time I have as to what I like to do. If I have a couple of hours, I enjoy thrifting, hitting the antique mall, or wandering through a fabric store. Sometimes I'm looking for something specific and sometimes I'm just looking to see what catches my eye. When I don't have that much time, I like to fix a cup of tea, put my feet up, and browse through my latest magazine. It's relaxing and often inspiring.

So Many Memories Blog

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Meeling - I love this question! Life is so busy for everyone these days, I think it's really important to take a little time for yourself. I try to take a few minutes everyday and just "escape" to a quiet corner to either read a little, play a favorite word game or maybe even close my eyes for 5 minutes. I always end up feeling refreshed after. I also love to cook, so thankfully for me preparing dinner is usually a fun and relaxing end to my day. Once in a while when I need an extra treat, you'll find me getting a pedicure - in California we live in flip flops nearly year round, so that's my excuse for keeping my toes in tip top shape! :-)

Life is delicious...come follow me and eat it up! 

The Hairy Peach Blog

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Gloria - One of the things I do is listen to sparks that I have tucked away. They are ideas, feelings, nudges ... that want me to notice them and give them consideration. All the hours I am awake, I listen to, focus on, and serve others and their needs. In my quiet hours I can be busy, but I listen to, appreciate, and reflect on those sparks.

 If I can get away for a few hours and want to feel refreshed, I take a drive and stop to take photos along the way, walk in a public garden or museum, find someplace totally new to me and have a meal, or see a play. More often for a break at home, music, tea, chocolate, and a big yellow furball are at
hand.

New End Studio Blog ~ Shop ~ Pinterest ~ Twitter

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Rachel - When I find a little time for myself, I like to work on what I've started to call my "muse projects." they're long ridiculous projects that won't make me any money, are a bit out of my comfort zone, but I feel compelled to try out. So I might choose out a really tough song on the piano and spend a couple of months to half a year diving into it in my spare time (although no one will hear it except the people who live with me ((who will have to forgive me))) and I might not even finish it, (in fact I usaully don't).

 But the beauty of the project isn't really the end-goal, but the half-way there, where I learn how to play piano a little better, or how to compose a story a little better (I've written some terrible books for muse projects, for instance), or how to use photoshop better and more efficiently (I've also made some pretty awful comics), or how to tailor clothes (and there's a half-tailored ugly jacket in my closet I've experimented on), or learned some facts I didn't realize before (like from the huge books on Russia I got from the library but didn't quite finish ((Ps don't ask me anything about Russia I've forgotten already))).

Also, if I felt like I had to finish it, then it would become work, and the last thing I'd do for myself is more work. Without a deadline, it becomes an uplifting part of my day.

Shop ~ This is Not a Craft Blog

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Now it's your turn to answer the question. Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Can You Find 5 Minutes, an Hour, How About a Half a Day?

You can have Me Time adventures regardless of how much time you have. Even with just 5 minutes you can create a moment to recharge.

Sometimes the hardest part of enjoying Me Time is not knowing what you want to do, so it's easy to just sit around or watch TV. 

Now don't get me wrong sometimes just sitting around is just what you need, but it you would like a more meaningful way to experience your time to yourself give some of these ideas a try.

5 Minutes

~Close your eyes and take deep cleansing breaths until you feel yourself relax. Do a slow series of stretches further relax your muscles.

~Sit in sun and let the heat soak in.

~Take a brisk walk to get the blood flowing.

~Listen to your favorite song.

1 Hour

~Have lunch at your favorite restaurant. 

~Do an art project.

~Sit in a park and enjoy nature.

~Take a quite bath and relax.

~Take a nap.

Half Day

~Book a spa half day.

~Find a comfy spot, and grab your favorite book and get totally engrossed into a book.

~If your into cooking, make some of your favorite recipes or create new ones.

~Take a afternoon and go out to lunch and then catch a movie.

~Go to all your favorite stores and buy yourself a little something special.

Whole Day

~Visit a city close to you and have a day full oaf art. Go to art galleries and museums and any other favorite place to enjoy art.

~Take a mini road trip. Pack a lunch and drive to a unknown destination.

~Have a creative day. Create all those projects you always wanted to do but didn't have the time.

Whatever you decide to do with your time, remember to do something for yourself. As women we tend to forget about ourselves and do what we need to do for others first. It's important to take time for yourself to rejuvenate. 

When you find time, do something fun! 

If you had a whole day to do something just for yourself, what would it be?

Find Time For Yourself

Just as you give appreciation, acknowledgment, 

adoration, and affection to others, you must also 

give this same kind of love to yourself.

Over the next 5 days their will be tips and ideas for enjoying me moments. Start by making a promise to yourself to take a few minutes everyday for yourself, doing something you enjoy.

4 Ways to make time for yourself
Plan an evening with yourself once a week
Take a class
Lunch alone
Plan a monthly outing (spa treatment, movie, walk etc..)

When you have chosen your me time add it to your calendar and tell your family. It will be easier to actually take time to yourself if you plan ahead.

When are you going to schedule your me time?

Create Your Own Me Moment

Enjoy some time to yourself listening to your favorite music. 

It's good for the mind, body, and soul!