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How do you spend time with yourself? We are conditioned to spend a lot of time with other people, whether it is going to church, hosting baby showers, or going hiking with friends. But with social distancing at the forefront of our minds, how do we spend time with ourselves? Personally, I struggle with my “me time” I constantly wonder if I’m wasting time by not doing something “productive”.
With my extra “me time” here are a few things I love to do just for myself. They are not necessarily “productive” but they fill me with joy and help me pass hours of time without worry. One of the first things, I learned to love to do without judgement is coloring. Remember that fad that started a few years ago? My husband went all in and bought me several coloring book and my favorite pencils, Prisma Colors. I can loose hours in coloring at my kitchen table listening to podcasts, or audiobooks without any worry. Until it’s time to feed myself or my husband. My favorite coloring books, for those of you wondering, are by Johanna Basford. And my go-to of hers is the Enchanted Forest & Lost Ocean, she has several out now including a Jungle and Christmas themed books. I’m still working through the ones I have so I haven’t added any recently. As an art student in Jr. high, Sr. high, and College let me answer the question of the best colored pencils on the market. Prisma Colors Premier Colored Pencils, they are so smooth and evenly toned. Yes, they are expensive but they give me the best even output of any colored pencil I’ve owned or used.
On warmer days, which hopefully will become more regular quickly, is gardening. I love playing in the dirt, as a kid I loved being in the dirt. In high school, I had a small garden in my backyard where I grew squash and strawberries. Last year in my patio garden I grew a load of herbs; basil, rosemary, thyme, mint, and catnip. Since it is still too early to actually plant anything because we wait until after Mother’s Day here, I’m actually over here dreaming of my patio garden. Travis is going to build me a planter holder for 4 long planters and I’d really love to add flowers, especially roses to our patio this year. I may have requested a David Austin catalog and now, I want all the roses in every color! Since I am gardening on my patio, it’s important that I choose roses that are adequate for potting.
One last thing I love doing is actually super messy, cleaning and organizing. I don’t always go in with a plan but I feel so accomplished after I sort through things. Especially boxes or tubs that we keep moving around and never get unpacked, like really? Do we actually need those things? I love the idea of minimalism, but I’m a sentimental heart and keep greeting cards for years. I am trying to get better at it but I don’t expect to be perfect anytime soon. When I decide I don’t need something anymore my first thought is do I know someone who would want this? And I reach out to ask. I’ve told people if the answer is No, it’s okay! My feelings won’t be hurt. The next line of thought is can I repurpose it? If not, I donate it.
Go back and grab the Quarantine Bucket List printable from last week and write out 3 things you’d like to do if for no other reason than you enjoy it. Something else I really enjoy doing is writing and blogging but in an effort to have more screen free time, I’m trying to limit how often I’m staring at my computer screen.
Stylishly Shelby 
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