Mumsnet users share the novel ways they make time for themselves with Nintendo

[JustineBMumsnet]

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It can feel impossible to make time for yourself at the best of times, let alone when you’re juggling working from home and playing the role of teacher on top of your day-to-day home life. With free time often scarce and always precious, Nintendo would like to hear about the novel ways you’ve been making time for yourself at the moment.

Here’s what Nintendo has to say: “Keeping your mind active and taking some time out for yourself is really important and using quick games that engage your brain can be a great way to relax. Dabbling in puzzles, board games and a spot of brain training can help you to focus your mind on the here and now and give you the chance to relax when you have a few precious moments of quiet.”

Have you been taking extended loo breaks to achieve some much needed alone time even if the scenery isn’t the most appealing? Perhaps now the kids are home all the time you’ve got them involved with your relaxation rituals? Have you been entertaining yourself with video or brain training games? What do you do to relax if you have just a few minutes to yourself?

Whatever the ways you’re making time for yourself, share on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £200 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

My kids are close in age (22 months and 5 months) so both take a nap for about an hour at the same time. My eldest likes to nap in her bedroom in her cot and my youngest on me so I take this as my me time. Il make a cup of tea, grab some nice snacks and watch a programme while I'm nap trapped.

I use my free time on Mumsnet an Netmums because I love reading the comments from other mums some being very helpful and interesting,

I quite often hide in my bedroom with a mug of tea and shed loads of biscuits! I can only do this when my youngest is having a power nap!
I try to escape for walks / runs when Daddy gets home as otherwise i rarely get a minute to myself!

I often crochet, run or go on walks with a good audio book.

My kids are usually allowed to watch tv at a specific time in the afternoon. I cook dinner while they do and listen to one of my favourite podcasts. It’s time alone with my thoughts and if they’re engrossed in the tv there aren’t so many demands from them!

When the children are in the bath I sneak in a bit of reading/Facebooking etc. I stay close so I can hear them and get back easily but they're old enough not to need me actually in the room with them anymore. Also I take a cup of tea out to the garden while they're playing.

I have been getting up earlier so I can have some peaceful time alone before they rises

I found a pile of old puzzle books at the back of a drawer so have been doing a few of those. Mindless nonsense like Candy Crush and Blockscapes for those moments where my brain can’t cope with much. An hour soak in the bath every day and books before bedtime!

I am the designated food shopper. I love that bit of me time, and eek it out by sneaking my e-reader into the bag for life and then sometimes buying a sweet treat or frappe to have in the car whilst I read for half hour or so before coming home.
I'm debating buying a Switch with the money I've saved on petrol during lockdown, but I actually don't want the kids to get their hands on it!

Go for a long walk and chat to myself

So important to have time to yourself! I read at quiet times & encourage children to also get me time too

love watching a film once kids in bed with a glass of wine - perfect way to unwind

Reading, having a bath (sometimes at the same time if I'm very lucky!)
I have just taken up crochet and am enjoying learning a new skill.

My son has taken to having two extended baths a day atm so during those times I usually put netflix on, or some music whilst I get some work done on my laptop. Washing the dishes has become a 'me time' activity as I usually do it once my son is in bed and I watch Netflix whilst washing up/cleaning the kitchen etc! Of course, there are the extended loo breaks for me where I do a bit of reading or catching up on twitter the news. Once he's asleep, I stay up a bit longer just to fully relax and unwind myself. I play words with friends, or just zone out to the telly. I have recently restarted learning Spanish, too, and I use the Duolingo app for that! I love spending some time in the garden, too, whether just sat at the table and taking in the fresh air, or pulling up some weeds! I have really come to appreciate the need to make sure I have some me time during lockdown, as well as making sure I connect with my son each day on our daily walks/bike rides. It's been good for both of us :)

I like to sit in my bedroom reading a book or doing a puzzle. Or I take a nap, watch a film or call a friend in secret. Other ways to get me time include walking off to have a quick shower/water the plants/whatever works for you. Me time is so important.

I am making children's face masks for friends and family out of some old Disney princess, and Thomas curtains. We have to get used to wearing them, and having some character ones my children will wear gives me some 'me' time behind my sewing machine.

I always take time to have a bath every evening. I also enjoy going out early on a weekend for walks by myself.

I get up early, then I can read in peace until the rest wake up. I love that quiet time where it's just me and the birds outside with the sun streaming in.

By using the silent time in the middle of the night to read and play Pokemon Go rather than go back to sleep immediately.

I'm dreadful for staying up too late because it's when I've managed to grab some time to myself.

In order to give a bit of me time i've been stocktaking the tins in our kitchen cupboards (boring i know) but it's a good 30mins where i tell my husband I need to concentrate so he has to entertain the kids - it's lovely the peace and quiet!

Walking to the supermarket and playing pokemon go, on the way. I make the most of it and don't always take the shortest route.

I binge watch series whilst I do the ironing on Sundays. I hate Sundays, and I hate ironing, but I spend a good hour or two in the spare room every Sunday with the laptop set up on iPlayer, Netflix or Prime.
I think my husband is on to me and has said he wouldn’t mind swapping one of his chores for the ironing (we split the housework and have our own jobs), but he’s got no chance! I tell DC that they can’t come in due to the danger of the hot iron and they just accept it, weirdly.
As for games, I used to love Candy Crush but I got completely stuck on a level and I absolutely refuse to make in-app purchases and buy boosters, to me there’s no point in the game if you can just buy your way though levels (although it’s quite a good analogy for real life - one rule for the rich and another for the rest of us!) So I gave up on Candy Crush.
We also used to have a Wii Fit pre-kids, which I really enjoyed, but sold it when we moved to a wall-mounted TV (I hated the look of the wires trailing down the wall - we’d had the TV wires buried in the wall). Actually, I’d really like to get back into that, the kids are big enough for it now and it would’ve been really handy during lockdown. But I hate the look of games consoles in a living space. Are consoles wireless now? I’m out of the loop!

I love to cycle when my partner home from work I also like a moment to relax in bath but still get knocks on the
door with the older ones needing toliet lol I'd love to treat myself once in a while but never happens sadly 💖

Thanks all for your comments! The winner of the prize draw is @Teaspoon74