When I opened my email bright and early one morning last week, to find that the infamous Carla asked me to write a guest post on my “daily intermissions”, I smiled REALLY REALLY big!
I was so honored and excited that she wanted me to share my thoughts on the idea of intermissions.
My “daily intermissions” have become very important to me and are something that I look forward to on a nightly basis.
Let me explain…
As a entrepreneur, personal trainer, social media influencer, I am always GIVING! I love giving, inspiring, and promoting others on a daily basis, because I believe this is what I am supposed to do.
It makes me happy…BUT it can also can leave me exhausted, stressed, drained, and overwhelmed.
I was finding that no matter how early I got up, there still wasn’t enough time in the day.
My “to do” list was growing and not shrinking…I felt like I was running on the treadmill and it wasn’t slowing down…I was starting to feel sad, overworked, anti-social, and uninspired.
Holy guacamole this was so not cool!
I realized that I was giving no time to ME anymore. And when you do not give or take care of yourself, how can you take care of others?
I started with small daily intermissions to help me get grounded and back to feeling like ME again
- Dog Walks: Whether it is early in the morning or before dinner, Lucy and I head out the door, just the two of us. No phone. No music. I 100% disconnect and just focus on NOTHING. I find walking your dog is so therapeutic, for both of us. At the beginning of our walks I am not too thrilled and my mind is racing about the “to do” list, but once we get into our groove, I stop thinking and just walk. Gosh I enjoy that part!
- Less Television: While in between clients, I am typically in my apartment ALWAYS working on the computer. I used to have the news on in the background to get rid of the silence. I now find the news depressing, so no more TV during the days. I embrace the silence and I enjoy the silence. I also find that I am more productive and happier. I will not give up my nighttime TV though, that involves mindless thinking!
- Reading: I LOVE reading! I love flipping the pages. I do not want another electronic device in my life, so reading a book the old fashioned way is also a way for me to disconnect and truly get lost in the story. I read every night…whether it is 5 pages or 30 pages, it is peaceful, relaxing, and comforting, when I am curled up in a bed. To me, it is the perfect way to end a busy day.
- Journaling: This “daily intermission” is my favorite and something that definitely has helped me the most! My journal writing is only about ME.No one can judge my words and thoughts! I write about everything and anything that is going through my mind; my frustrations; my fears; my DREAMS; my passions; my day…just writing it out helps me clear my mind and go to bed with a clean slate almost. I find that each night when I write, I wake up with a sense of clarity, which has helped me find ME again and my purpose!
After being pretty consistent with these “daily intermissions” I can honestly say that I do feel a difference in my productivity my overall attitude and I have found “my purpose” again.
Working on YOU is not easy.
It takes you getting out of your own damn way and admitting your faults BUT when you put in the time and the work, some pretty amazing things can happen.
I am even surprising myself and I LOVE THAT!
Kathleen Uhran is the owner of She Rocks Fitness, which specializes in personal training, boot camps, and online training. She Rocks Fitness blog provides inspiration, workouts, healthy recipes, product reviews, and a glimpse into her personal journey. Her passions include running, yoga, cooking, and spending time with her dog Lucy. Kathleen believes in inspiring others to know their self worth. Kathleen also believes that living a healthy and active lifestyle should be fun and never means giving up the things you love. It is about moderation and balance. #inspireOTHERS
Runner Girl says
July 24, 2015 at 4:26 amI need to find other intermissions than running.
Ali says
July 24, 2015 at 11:27 amI think I do too many of the same intermission each day as well. My go to intermission is yoga and now I wonder if it’s not wearing off a little bit.
Lilly says
July 24, 2015 at 5:31 amI find it a challenge, too, to stop and re-fill myself.
I need to make it a daily priority.
Kel says
July 24, 2015 at 7:29 amI love the thought of refilling ME.
Coco says
July 24, 2015 at 6:05 amI’ve got the dog walking down once a day, but need to add it in the evenings. And I would benefit from more journaling, I’m sure!
Kel says
July 24, 2015 at 7:28 amMy journaling become a chore.
I wonder if I reframed as an intermission if it would help.
Liz says
July 24, 2015 at 8:18 amThis is great! I have daily intermissions too.. I set aside 15 minutes every day to read, and 10 to meditate. Helps keep me sane 🙂
Lara says
July 24, 2015 at 9:17 amSometimes it feels as though working to make time for myself should be easy. But sometimes at the same time LOL it just feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
July 24, 2015 at 9:47 amReading and no TV is me too! Great “intermissions”!
Carly @ FitLiving blog says
July 24, 2015 at 10:57 amThis is a great list! I can find it hard to take intermissions when I really get going for the day. So often, I’ll look at the clock and wonder how much time flew by already! I really need to get better about this, because taking mini breaks throughout the day is so important. Great post!
mimi says
July 24, 2015 at 2:23 pmPrayer, meditation, morning pages, reading, and the puzzle page in the newspaper — you can them intermissions, i term them sanity savers. Same thing, i guess.
cheryl says
July 24, 2015 at 3:59 pmI don’t know if I would call my “me” time “intermission”-it’s more like “kick in the head, get oxygen to the brain” so I can drive 45 min. to work, see 40 special needs preschoolers for speech therapy, go to a couple meetings with adults and then drive 45 min. home. I tell myself it’s part of my endurance training, so I am not bitter about having to work at almost 62. I did the same thing when I was raising my daughter single handedly- at four a.m.-it’s what I had to do. Didn’t have time to actually think about anything else except that early morning workout, work, and taking care of her. I STILL trained enough to race sprint triathlons pretty well – now that she is grown I have more “me” time but still have the 4 a.m. habit before I head to work….my intermission now is a small glass of wine and watching the quail feed on the back patio.
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says
July 24, 2015 at 4:22 pmLove this concept! I’m a much better person to the people around me when I take time for myself.
Angie says
July 26, 2015 at 9:01 pmOh my goodness I could have written the first part of this post. My days go in fits and starts and it constantly feels like I’m “in between” everything and rarely have time that’s just mine. Another blog I read calls these times “awkward pauses” (aslobcomesclean.com). I’m trying to manage mine better so thank you for the ideas!
Jess @hellotofit says
July 27, 2015 at 8:49 amYAY, KATIE!! I need daily intermissions as well. Keeps me sane! Yoga has been helping me.
Alexandra @ Made to Glow says
July 27, 2015 at 4:12 pmLove these, Katie! Intermissions are so necessary, but so hard to do. I’ve been trying to do a quick deep breath or biofeedback (thinking ‘warm hands’) whenever I can, or if it’s a calmer day, a long walk with my pup (also one of my favorite things – dogs are amazing 🙂 ) Thanks for your inspiration!
Elle says
July 27, 2015 at 10:55 pmI completely can relate to this. I too feel that I’m running on a treadmill that isn’t slowing down with a to-do list that is growing!
I have a recent foot injury that will take weeks to fully heal, but now that it’s starting to feel a bit better, I’ve been going on an easy walk everyday and it’s become my intermission time. I want to add daily reading to my list as well!