Me Time
What is your notion of “me time”? When caught in a relationship where the partner constantly demands time to be with them, do men find their way to have time just for themselves? And if you’re like me who practises “Go ahead, spoil yourself” or “Treat yourself well and sweet,” how do you prefer to spend your me time? Here are a few examples:
1. Me time is meal time. Yes, I’m taking inspiration from the McDonald’s ad where “my inbox is vaporizing, my spread sheet is my couch, my time sheets are sooo… yesterday.” For some, me time is defined in terms of food trips and even emotional eating (which should be avoided). It’s fine to spend on items that you really like and I don’t mind splurging if it’s for food. But of course, do everything in moderation. Also, comfort food need not be expensive. I can find satisfaction by merely devouring my mom’s creamy avocado concoction after coming home from work or since I started with McDo, include grabbing a sundae cone.
2. Arcade or video games at home. Physically, mentally, and emotionally stressed from work and relationships, men find great amusement by just staying home and grabbing their play station. Be it for the audio, graphics and enhanced effects, with the notion of control, competition, and reward, the total experience is just addictive.
3. Shopping. I heard that when broken-hearted, most women find release in shopping. The idea is that we get to choose and get what we want, which was apparently not experienced with the boyfriend. But in another case where we are just looking for a partner, we also consider finding the perfect shopping buddy: Someone who has the patience to stay with us for hours, and the fashion sense or good taste to give us valuable advice towards buying decisions.
4. Library lounge, fishing, and other activities for the oldies?! My guy friend and I laughed when we found ourselves resorting to less physical activities. I even tried to defend staying at the library as something physical too, as you periodically stand up and reach for the shelves. As we age, notice how our preferred leisure activities change. ;-)
5. Travel and soul-searching. Be it an outing with high school friends or coworkers, or travelling alone, visiting places you’ve never been to provides unique and refreshing experiences which are unavailable in our regular environment. And so it widens our horizon, empowers the imagination, and recharges the body. And it doesn’t have to be far from the city. In walking alone, in UP or EcoPark for example, anyone may find an enjoyable me time.
6. Movie marathon. Whether you prefer suspense, comic love stories, or animation (like I do), both shallow and intelligently-produced films may be fit for me time. Just be in your most comfortable position and get ready to indulge in hours of movie-watching. You might even learn a thing or two as you reflect on what you’ve watched and your own real-life dilemmas.
7. Blogging. For someone who goes on night shift and would just often eat breakfast and sleep upon reaching home, having the time to blog is precious. You just write because you want to speak your own thoughts, not because somebody else asked you to do it.
How do you define me time? For me, it’s allowing yourself to do things just for the sake of doing it, because you want it. You are not required, there is no pressure. It’s a good thing to find yourself wanting to spend this me time with your special someone, but we should strive not to demand that that person always reciprocate it. Each one of us may have different preferences on taking the time for the spirit to recharge.
So don’t be upset if you discovered that he postponed your date just to sleep the whole day. Or, he went bowling, playing billiards, or skating.
1. Me time is meal time. Yes, I’m taking inspiration from the McDonald’s ad where “my inbox is vaporizing, my spread sheet is my couch, my time sheets are sooo… yesterday.” For some, me time is defined in terms of food trips and even emotional eating (which should be avoided). It’s fine to spend on items that you really like and I don’t mind splurging if it’s for food. But of course, do everything in moderation. Also, comfort food need not be expensive. I can find satisfaction by merely devouring my mom’s creamy avocado concoction after coming home from work or since I started with McDo, include grabbing a sundae cone.
2. Arcade or video games at home. Physically, mentally, and emotionally stressed from work and relationships, men find great amusement by just staying home and grabbing their play station. Be it for the audio, graphics and enhanced effects, with the notion of control, competition, and reward, the total experience is just addictive.
3. Shopping. I heard that when broken-hearted, most women find release in shopping. The idea is that we get to choose and get what we want, which was apparently not experienced with the boyfriend. But in another case where we are just looking for a partner, we also consider finding the perfect shopping buddy: Someone who has the patience to stay with us for hours, and the fashion sense or good taste to give us valuable advice towards buying decisions.
4. Library lounge, fishing, and other activities for the oldies?! My guy friend and I laughed when we found ourselves resorting to less physical activities. I even tried to defend staying at the library as something physical too, as you periodically stand up and reach for the shelves. As we age, notice how our preferred leisure activities change. ;-)
5. Travel and soul-searching. Be it an outing with high school friends or coworkers, or travelling alone, visiting places you’ve never been to provides unique and refreshing experiences which are unavailable in our regular environment. And so it widens our horizon, empowers the imagination, and recharges the body. And it doesn’t have to be far from the city. In walking alone, in UP or EcoPark for example, anyone may find an enjoyable me time.
6. Movie marathon. Whether you prefer suspense, comic love stories, or animation (like I do), both shallow and intelligently-produced films may be fit for me time. Just be in your most comfortable position and get ready to indulge in hours of movie-watching. You might even learn a thing or two as you reflect on what you’ve watched and your own real-life dilemmas.
7. Blogging. For someone who goes on night shift and would just often eat breakfast and sleep upon reaching home, having the time to blog is precious. You just write because you want to speak your own thoughts, not because somebody else asked you to do it.
How do you define me time? For me, it’s allowing yourself to do things just for the sake of doing it, because you want it. You are not required, there is no pressure. It’s a good thing to find yourself wanting to spend this me time with your special someone, but we should strive not to demand that that person always reciprocate it. Each one of us may have different preferences on taking the time for the spirit to recharge.
So don’t be upset if you discovered that he postponed your date just to sleep the whole day. Or, he went bowling, playing billiards, or skating.
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