Most of us are so conditioned to feel guilty about taking a break from work that we forget to consider how it affects our mental health. Even if we plan to take a break, the burden of pending work constantly bugs our minds, and the guilt keeps consuming us. Be it at home or office, we have a habit of working persistently till the work is complete without taking a breather. This especially affects women who have been taught through generations that when tasks are pending, the break is not an option. Though most of us are pro’s at multitasking and managing personal and professional work, we must also make sure to focus on giving ourselves a break.

With the increase in stress levels amongst people, it’s pretty straightforward that the focus on mental health is ignored. Our lifestyle has become so monotonous that we are lost in the daily routine and forget to take some time for ourselves. This is where the concept of Mindfulness comes into the picture.

Neha Verma, a Clinical Psychologist (HOD) at Fitterfly, a digital therapeutics company, while emphasizing the importance of Mindfulness says, “We are so caught up in the rut of life that we often forget to understand that we need to go slow to move fast. We live life as though there aren’t enough hours in a day, but if we do each activity calmly and carefully, we will get it done quicker and with much lesser stress. Living each moment can make you feel fresh and relaxed and will increase your productivity as well. However, it is also essential to take a break from your routine to recharge and rejuvenate. The concept of ME Time needs to be reinforced in our lives to help us both cope and flourish.”

Here are a few things that you can do:

Calm yourself: Make deliberate space for ME time in your daily routine. It may be just 30 minutes out of 24 hours to calm yourself from the work. But, it should be clearly defined so that you know when to spend time with yourself.

Plan your work: Making a to-do list of work is important. Make a list of activities that you have to finish in a day that could be both housework and office work and don’t forget to add some ME Time to the to-do list. Daily chores are a taxing and never-ending task, so keep aside your work for some time and engage in something that will calm your mind.

Multi-task your chores: Take out time for activities that make you feel relaxed like cooking, reading a book, listening to music, watching TV, or just sipping a cup of coffee, and indulge yourself during the 30 minutes you set aside. Washing utensils is known to be a stress buster too, so if you have leftover utensils to be cleaned adapt the practice of soaking them. Soak your vessels in water with Nimeasy Dishwash Gel for 25 min and its Enzyme technology helps lift off the layer of tough food scum stuck to the bottom of utensils. Nimeasy’s unique Liftoff Action helps reduce the need for scrubbing. This will save a big chunk of your 30 minutes of personal time which can be used for something else.

Fitness: Involve yourself in some kind of fitness. Go for short walks or quick runs. While it is very beneficial to walk or run in the mornings, a walk in the middle of the day can also be very therapeutic.

Self-care: Add a self-care routine to pamper yourself every day – paint your nails, put on that face mask, or just add a few minutes to your bath routine.

Rate your happiness on a 5-point scale every day and you will be amazed to see how these 30 minutes of ME time can increase your happiness index in just a month.

About the author- Neha Verma, a Clinical Psychologist (HOD) at Fitterfly, a digital therapeutics company.