Do you need a Time Cleanse?

Hello!

I hope you’ve had the most magnificent week. If you’re new to the Courageous Self-Care weekly blog/message then a hearty welcome to you. (I’m thinking hearty like a lovely winter stew. With rutabaga. Nothing says hearty like rutabaga, except maybe for turnip. That's pretty robust too.) If you’re a regular, then welcome back. Either way, it’s so fulfilling to connect with you here.

This month, we’ve been exploring the idea of making good friends with Time. It’s an idea worth exploring, because how you feel about Time literally affects every second of your day.

My invitation is to treat time like your BFF and subsequently think thoughts about Time and say things about Time that you would say to someone you love.

The way most people treat Time is pretty unkind ("there’s never enough of you, Time!") When you shift into love and appreciation for time, you’ll start noticing that you get gifts from Time. Yay for gifts!

For example, this weekend, I ended up with the gift of an unexpected, unplanned breakfast date with my beloved husband, Paul, and it was glorious to connect, eat amazing food and bounce ideas off each other.

Here’s another Time idea I want to share with you before we move into a different topic next month. 

The Time Cleanse (insert dramatic and inspiring music of your liking... maybe the A Team theme song if nothing comes to mind)

Last week, I discussed the idea of a Time Cleanse with one of my clients, and I thought you might be wishing you were a fly on the wall for that conversation, so here's your chance! And you don't have to turn into a sketchy insect to benefit!

You know how a food cleanse is when you only give your body the most nourishing foods to reboot your system?

Well, a Time Cleanse is the same idea but with time. It’s a gift you give yourself periodically where you only do things that fill you up, that nourish you from the inside out.

Here are some ideas for the what and the when.

Some people know right away what they would do for a Time Cleanse, but others have drifted away from what fills them up and then feel stuck. Here are some suggestions if you fall into the second category.

Time Cleanse Ideas

>spend time outside enjoying nature

>read the kind of book you like the most

>watch a movie that makes you feel amazing, inspired and yummy

>prepare a special meal

>go out for a special meal

>meditate

>dance to your favourite tunes

>sing along to your favourite tunes

>create something (a drawing, a thank you card, a quilt, a piece of art, a photo album, some music…)

>have a luxurious bath (with rose petals! and salts! and nice smells!)

>mindfully drink a cup of tea 

>do some journaling

>go to an art gallery

>get active in your favourite way

I recommend making a list of ideas and actually writing it down so you have it at the ready.

Now when would you do such a thing?

In an ideal Time Cleanse Scenario, you would want to give yourself a full weekend where you’re only doing things that fill you up. Oh my. Doesn’t that sound spectacular? If you’re really on the ball, (like a seal maybe?) then you would schedule your Time Cleanse weekends a few months out, or perhaps on a quarterly basis.

If you don’t have that ideal scenario, then a full day would be amazing. Aim for one Time Cleanse day/month.

If that’s still a stretch, then perhaps it could be a chunk of a day once a week, say 2 or 3 hours. At the very least, you want to be doing a Time Cleanse for an hour every week. Bare minimum. In order to make it happen, you’ve got to schedule it and guard that time ferociously, like a tiger. LIKE A TIGER!!!

This Time Cleanse is a skill and it takes practice. And, man, is it worth practicing!

Here are some benefits you’ll experience from a regular Time Cleanse:

>increased patience

>greater self-love

>overflowing energy

>more satisfaction

>setting a great example for those around you

>deep sense of inner peace 

>improved ability to stay calm in chaos

>higher productivity

See? Totally worth it. Even if it’s hard and uncomfortable. You can do hard things!

Speaking of hard things, where are you at with getting things done? (the little nagging things, the big, big dreams and everything in between) If procrastination is a THING for you, I’m giving a Self-Care Masterclass this Friday, Feb 26th: How to Overcome Procrastination. 

As with all the monthly Self-Care Masterclasses, you can expect to go deep and really get the juice out of it… no band aid solutions like tired old time management techniques. Once you take this masterclass, you’ll have the tools to reflect and then move through the blocks whenever procrastination strikes, forevermore. Click here for details and registration.

Have a most spectacular week and please schedule yourself a Time Cleanse. 

With epochs of love and eons of courage,

Christina

Creator of Courageous Self-Care

Lover of Sourdough Croissants

Mediocre Parallel-Parker (Seriously. It makes me sweat every time. Three cheers for angle parking. Or being chauffeured - my actual preference.)

PS- Some of my clients are getting the procrastination masterclass for free. Find out how by clicking here.