Making Time For Yourself

This article is brought to you by our partners at Learn to Live. Learn to Live is a free wellness and mental health service offered to all Pension Fund members who are active ministers and their household members (spouse/Qualified Domestic Partner and children) over the age of 13. Learn more on our Learn to Live page.

Recharge, Reduce Stress, Feel Better

In the midst of our demanding lives, it's all too easy to overlook self-care. However, prioritizing personal time is an essential aspect of maintaining overall health and happiness. Contrary to being selfish, it's a proactive approach to ensuring your well-being on physical, mental and emotional levels. Here are four benefits that show why integrating self-care is important for reducing stress and yielding positive outcomes:

Rejuvenation Improves Well-Being: Engage in activities that bring you joy and relaxation. Whether it's reading, going on a walk, or a hobby, these instances of "me time" are important for maintaining a good balance in life.
Self-Exploration Brings Self-Awareness: Reflect on your thoughts, emotions, and aspirations. By grasping your own identity, you're empowered to make sound decisions, establish meaningful goals, and lead a life that resonates authentically with you.
Rest Increases Productivity: Every individual requires periods of rest. Allocating time for yourself affords your mind and body the opportunity to rest and recharge. This, in turn, enhances your concentration, problem-solving abilities, and creative thinking. Thus, nurturing yourself directly contributes to improved performance in academics, work, and other engagements.
Enhanced Interpersonal Bonds: Counterintuitively, setting aside time for personal well-being has a positive ripple effect on your relationships. When you take care of yourself, you feel better and can be there for the people you care about.

Taking time for yourself is not a luxury. It’s something you need to do. It helps you recharge, feel better, reduce stress and have better relationships. Remember, taking care of yourself is a way to show yourself love and care for your own well-being. So, make sure to schedule “me time,” do things you enjoy and take care of yourself. You will feel happier and healthier for it.

We can help.

Learn to Live offers mental health programs to support your emotional well-being. You can start a self-paced digital program for Stress, Anxiety & Worry; Depression; Social Anxiety; Insomnia, Panic, or Substance Use or begin our Resilience program to find new ways to nurture your mental and physical well-being.

Get started today by visiting our Learn to Live page. If you’re already a member, simply sign in with your username and password.

Gifts by generous donors to Ministerial Relief and Assistance (MRA) make programs like Learn to Live possible. Learn more about MRA here.

September 2023 Learn to Live Webinars

Struggling to get it all done each day and feeling overwhelmed? Juggling workload, family obligations, squeezing in time to see our friends and set aside some time for ourselves? It can be a lot! But chances are, we can accomplish our goals with just a few adjustments to our approach. We’ll explain how we get off track and provide practical tools for achieving our goals when it feels like there is never enough time.

Do you ever feel like no matter how hard you try, you're still not thriving? If so, you're not alone and there is hope. While many of us feel that something is missing in our lives, recent studies show that 40% of us are feeling burnt out. In this presentation, the Learn to Live Clinical Team, will share the powerful impact of discovering and living by your values and offer practical insights about how to get past barriers that leave many of us feeling unfulfilled and drained.

Want to build a new, healthy habit? Ready to break an old one? We’ll explore how to take the next big step toward a better life, whether that’s creating new habits or working on cutting out an unhealthy habit.

Do you ever feel like no matter how hard you try, you're still not thriving? If so, you're not alone and there is hope. While many of us feel that something is missing in our lives, recent studies show that 40% are feeling burnt out. In this presentation, the Learn to Live Clinical Team, will share the powerful impact of discovering and living by your values and offer practical insights about how to get past barriers that leave many of us feeling unfulfilled and drained.[AG1] [JR2]