3. Meaningful time for yourself
Taking time for yourself can be invaluable. Setting aside time just to recharge is essential. It supports you in your life as an emotionally sensitive human. Here are some practical tips to help you make your time alone more enjoyable, comfortable, and useful to you.
Practical tips for making the most of your solitude
1. Moon and surroundings
At times, you’ll be more acutely aware of the energy in your environment. Depending on the day and how you are feeling, how tired you are, and so on, sensitivity to your surroundings can make a difference in regulating your mood.
Setting up your space to resonate with the feeling you want to embody is one way to experience more nourishment in your self-care. Ensuring your space is curated for how sensitive you are feeling day-to-day facilitates you being able to make the most of your alone time routines.
Here are some tips you can use to set up the right ambiance. Whether you are meditating, stretching, doing yoga, watching a movie, or reading a book, setting up your surroundings can shift how you feel. Colors, lighting, smells, sounds, and textures all play a part in creating a safe, nurturing space.
Steps:
- Light a candle or candles to create ambiance
- Clean up and wipe down surfaces.
- Declutter and put things away so the space is clear.
- Burn natural incense or essential oils and/or have flowers around.
- Put on comfortable clothes, surround yourself with fabrics you enjoy, appeal to your tactile senses.
- Have lots of pillows and comfy things to sit on.
- Put on music or have complete silence.
- Have a glass of water or a warm cup of tea nearby.
- Let in the fresh air and natural light.
2. Plan ahead
Having a plan for self-care can seem counter-intuitive, as it is making more work out of something that is meant to make less work and create more ease in your life. However, setting up a plan ahead of time can be helpful, even for the more spontaneous empaths out there. If you know beforehand what your body, mind, and spirit are needing, you can have those things ready and actually have less to think about when it is time to relax and unwind.
For example, going to the store can be draining on an empath; therefore, it is best to go when it won’t interfere with your self-care time. It can take a while to come down from a stressful event, and if you are trying to get the most of the time to yourself, then you want to sort of “pre-relax” into it.
Keep in mind that some errands and things are unavoidable, schedules and plans change. Do what you can. If you can only manage one minute alone to yourself, without distraction, to deep breathe, then do that. Just because you can’t do a fullblown herbal bath, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do anything at all.
Steps:
- Gather the materials you need ahead of time.
- If it is a creative time you want to engage in, then have the supplies ready and nearby.
- If you want to nourish yourself through study — reading and learning — have the materials, books, or sources available.
- Schedule time for yourself, especially if you are very busy and have a lot of responsibilities. Get your calendar out and write down when you can fit in the time to create meaningful moments of solitude.