How I Spend My Me-Time

When I was living in Indonesia, I grew up dreaming of being that kind of person who has a full schedule everyday, gives full attention for work and school and just being busy in general. I enjoy doing a lot of different things though because it's kinda challenging. It's sort of an art of you balancing things. This week for example: between studying for three tests and spending time with my man, while I still want to work on blog stuff and do workout. The ugly thing about having so many things to do is when you want to focus on one thing, everything else can easily fall to the wayside. Sometimes it's worth it, though you might need to make minor adjustments to enjoy the journey more. Other times, you need to make major changes to experience the happiness you might think you’re chasing.

In today’s busy society, it also can be challenging to carve out time that’s entirely for you. However, the value of having time for yourself still cannot be measured. Having individual experiences can be as valuable to the relationship as shared experiences. Science suggests that scheduling some time alone is crucial to staying happy and balanced. And if you are happy as an independent human being, your partner can take advantage of your positive energy. As much as I love doing things with my man, I also love doing my me-time. While I enjoy watching movies with him, I take care of myself during the day as well by doing my skincare routine that involves face mask/manicure/pedicure, reading a book or you know.. writing a new blog post. He suggests me to every time I already get home while he is still at work and I am thankful for having a man who values that. It's just those little activities that allow me to relax and do my thing because let's be real, nobody got time for a full day of spa (unless you schedule it!). So, if you need some tips on how to plan the perfect me-time, here are a few brilliant ways to get in:

Treat yourself

Cooking is one of those things I love to do to treat myself. I really enjoy the process of cooking because growing up in Indonesia helps me to! We always cook at home and never buy or order fast-food so it's always fresh and clean. Living in Germany makes me realize how important it is to cook by myself because I can add a little spice as much as I want. Haha! Don't get me wrong, german foods are delicious as well (hello Rouladen!) but I just used to eat spicy food and that's why I rather cook at home or go to Asian restaurant! Haha!

Create something

Spending time with myself, having fun by creating things is such an amazing way to spend some me-time! It doesn't have to be finished, doesn't have to be planned out right and doesn't have to be perfect at all. You know.. just for fun! I really enjoy writing things down, or drawing, baking a cake, or just making a list of things I love. It's all about the act of creating, not the end result!

Do your skincare routine

No matter how perfect you set up your skincare routine, you just do not have so much time to do it! Although the basic one should've been done everyday that includes moisturizer, cleanser and face oil. But really take your time and enjoy the therapeutic process of the skincare. The time I spend on skin care is not only used to treat myself but to check in with the physical changes going on with my body. Whether taking a long, salt-soaked bath, face mask, scrub, reinoid serum, or a foot spa at home, when I'm all dried off, I feel clean with a pure state of mind.

Found this beautiful soap with such a heaven smell last weekend, I had to buy it! I mean, how could a human being even create this wonderful smell on a soap?!

Don't forget to exfoliate your lips good! This one from Frank Body is my favorite because not only it soothes my lips, it also tastes amazing!

And I finally found the perfect mask from Alya Skin and had to buy twin pack of it! You can apply my coupon code "GRACES20" on their page to get 20% off at checkout!

Take a power nap

This is something I really appreciate as we grow older and have full schedules. When I am really tired during the day, I make sure to have some rest as soon as I get home because.. I just can't help it. Listening to my body helps keeping me focused after that, which boosts my productivity and makes me feel more refreshed. I just feel fantastic after a power nap!

Call an friend/family member

Maintaining positive relationships is food for the soul. By sharing things with the beloved ones and enjoy their company, it can boosts your mood immediately. Especially if you live abroad and your whole siblings live thousands miles away from you. Grab a random moment of free time and call up an old friend or family member that you miss talking to, for no reason other than to catch up. It makes them happy, too! 

Take a bath

I mean, who doesn't love that moment you climb into a bubble bath?! It allows you to relax by yourself, helps reduce overall tension in the body and mind and provides an excellent respite from my busy routine. I feel healthier after a bath because it kind of improves my health. It leaves me soft and supple as well which is amazing!

Read that magazine/book

..because it's more than just educating and entertaining! You can learn many things from reading and it helps absorbing language, grammar, verbiage and sentence structure, of which I really enjoy doing. The right books even open your eyes to undiscovered territory, places and prospects you might not have otherwise entertained. It may not change my whole world, but it may expand the borders a bit. I just love the experience of reading great books and becoming so absorbed that I forget to do anything else. Or turning the pages so fast and getting lost in a book.

What would you do to spend your me-time? Would you do one of these easy things to pamper yourself?

Until then.