I was there, standing in the you-know-it-well-I’m-sure December post office queue, this morning. A big box of Kit Kats had been placed amidst the super-popular cookbook shelves, and it dawned on me:
Somewhere along the line, someone decided it would be a genius move to equate ‘taking time out’ with their highly processed bars full of weirdo additives, unsustainable palm oil and all the rest… the logic in that is where exactly?
When I wrote my ‘it’s time to redefine treats’ post 3 years ago, it was about seeing ‘treats’ for what they really were and appreciating the old school, home-cooked treats again, for times when a delicious indulgence is required. The thing we also have to remember here, is that not everyone can afford or access some of the organic, specialty ingredient swaps for some of the allergy-friendly wholefood treats either – so KEY here is to remember, wherever you’re at you can still reject the idea that treats = junk made by often unethical, non prosperity generating giant corporations, and whatever treat you make, home made, even those with white flour and sugar, are still an amazing step forward adn away from what doesn’t serve us. I’m not here to add a layer of privilege onto what people swap away from. I’m here to say:
- If you want a treat. Make it. Learn how if you don’t know how. There are super easy, accessible online recipes and ingredient lists everywhere these days to suit your budget/accessibility/skill level/time needs.
- If you want a BREAK, diversify away from ‘treats’ if you’ve landed at chocolate and ice cream as your ‘oh it’s all just such a lot’ defaults.
So, just as I’ve written about redefine treats, I thought I’d brainstorm ‘me time’ and ‘taking a break’ options, too. Feel free to add you faves in the comments.
Instead of this
Let’s get back to me time’s, do nothings and do not disturbs that fill us up in a way that a vacuous refined product could never hope to in its wildest dreams (and for the record, I used to LOVE Kit Kats). Doing the work to understand exactly what a product is made of, from and by who will help shift the perception you need to shift in order to not crave such things any more. I still crave dark chocolate, but I treasure it because I know and love it, and I carefully choose based on quality and the environmental impact of the production. To be fair, I was impressed to see that their cocoa is now sustainably and ethically sourced – that’s at least something and when the big guys do this it really does make a difference to the lives and environments we may never visit but if we’re eating this, it should matter to us what it takes to make it!)
And, importantly, let’s actually take the me time. We can’t pour from our cup if it’s empty. “I don’t have time” is a farce. We’ve all got it, we’re just spending it doing something else and it’s time to be realistic and say that 30 mins to an hour in the day spent on filling our cup back up is not ‘wasted’ time. You are not wasting time. You are worth your time. Gosh, that sounds like a valid point, doesn’t it?
So… some ideas instead of reaching for the junk or giving into the crazy!
- Go for a walk. If it’s all too much that day, it’s amazing what a little 20-minute walk can do to shift your energy and clear your mind. When you get back, sit down, make a list of the 2 things you want to accomplish today and hop to it.
- Wiggle it – Katie Hendricks, a 50+ year psychologist with a PhD in movement therapy, says, stuck energy needs moving, so flick on a favourite tune, or simply start wigging your body and shaking out limbs. If fear and overwhelm are in your picture of ‘gah, things are crazy’ – Listen to our podcast with Katie here.
- Call a great friend for a catch-up chat. You know how good that feels! Someone to spend half an hour on the phone with who sees all of you as enough, and you them? That is MEDICINE.
- Meditate. Lie down or sit and pop on a meditation app for 5-10 minutes to clear space in your head! There are free apps on phones, but you know what’s easiest? Sit on a park bench and watch the branches and leaves of a tree as they move in the day’s breeze. This has been shown to boost creativity too, so not only will you feel rested but you might just feel a little inspired!
- Book a massage or acupuncture session if you’re feeling overwhelmed. If budget is an issue, find a massage/acupuncture place near you that has students doing their final prac hours. You’ll have a wonderful session at half or even less the price!
- Sniff an essential oil such as lemon, peppermint, tangerine or a favourite, rosemary – all of these are less expensive types of EOs and the research on the immediate mood and brain uplift is compelling!
- Read a magazine article or two from your favourite mag, like you have nowhere to be.
- Listen to a Ted talk on a topic that inspires you. Remembering how big and incredible our world is can help dissipate the 1st world problems overwhelm!
- Take your shoes off and get earthed in nature. For more on that, read HERE.
- Make your own chocolate to enjoy or heck, just hoe into a couple of squares of your favourite one, with a cuppa.
- Sit on a park bench with a coffee or smoothie and just stare out at nature – ‘soft fascination’ is restorative on many levels.
It’s funny how the age of advertising and algorithms has led us to eventually accept that to take a pause from our busy lives, mindless eating and watching is the answer – Normal does not equal optimal. Time to recalibrate!
It takes a while to topple that subconscious default and cultural norm.
What’s your favourite way to have some ‘do not disturb’ me time?
Illustration credit: Found on pinterest, through buzzfeed which cited secondid.tumblr.com as the source.
