This month we’ve been looking at the importance of self-care. How’s it going so far? Did you take Britta up on her “Self-Love Challenge?” Have you consciously chosen and prioritized self-care like Kelsey mentioned in her newsletter?

Picking up on this theme, I’d like to challenge a common belief that keeps us stuck in unhappy busyness (and not feeling very cared for!) and instead, suggest an empowering self-care practice.

The most common belief that gets in the way of self-care is “I have no time!” Most of us say it frequently and as if it’s fact.

Actually, the opposite is true! Time is exactly what we DO have. Life is made up of time. If we have nothing else, we have the gift of time.

And with time comes the power to choose. “How do I want to spend my time?” It’s a trick of the ego to conclude we don’t have time— it keeps us feeling “safe” but ultimately disempowered. Each day is a new opportunity to discern what I am going to do with my time. We might ask ourselves— do we see time as a gift or a burden?

In a sense, the realization that time is an abundant and empowering gift, rather than a burden, is the foundation of self-care. Through this lens, we can see the gifts life offers us— including the gift of loving ourselves— and actually receive them.

Here’s a practice you can take with you this week to rewrite this belief.

1. Gift of Time Practice:
Begin your day by taking 2-5 minutes to acknowledge the time you have available to you today. Sit silently and welcome the day— it’s a gift. See the opportunities you have available to you today. Start with your own presence— your body, your sensations, your emotions. From there, extend your awareness out to the day before you. Find at least one thing in your life to be grateful for. Foster gratitude. Consider how you and time will meet today. Offer a prayer to fully embrace the time given to you in a way that brings more love to yourself and the world. If you need some inspiration take 7 minutes to watch this beautiful video on gratitude.

Bonus practice: Take the phrase “I don’t have time” right out of your vocabulary today. Notice, with compassionate curiosity, when you want to say it. Remember, what you actually have is time. And it’s a gift full of possibilities. Take on the more empowering phrase: “I have plenty of time, and I choose (to do this or that) today.”

Let us know how it goes! We’d love to hear about your experience of the Gift of Time Practice.

All the best,
Lee