The term “me-time” first appeared around 1980 in magazines aimed at working mothers (a new demographic then) trying find a balance between the demands of employment and family life.
Life has only gotten busier in the last forty years; at the same time we’ve become more aware of our mental health. As the wellness industry boomed in the 2010s, the concept of “me-time” became ubiquitous. But what is it, really?
Obviously “me-time” means time with yourself, but that is not the same as time alone. You can spend an hour alone in a room scrolling through social media, and feel more drained at the end of it than you did at the start. Few of us would call that “me-time.”
Maya Angelou said that “a day away, in which one consciously separates past from future… acts as a spring tonic for the spirit.” Separating past from future means isolating some time - a sunrise, a dinner, a hike - and living it only for itself.
Thomas Merton called solitude (ie ‘me-time’) “a deepening of the present moment.” In practice, me-time requires some activity to help pull us deeper into ourselves. Some of us will spend our me-time painting or dancing, others will spend it in nature, others getting a massage, others still in a quiet nook reading a good book.
At Soma we think cacao is a wonderful tool to me-time fit you better. The ritual of preparing a cup of cacao, the joy of drinking it, and the effect it has on our bodies and brains all tend to soften us, and lend us the weight to fall into ourselves.
Whether your me-time is a jog or a meditation, a dip in the sea at sunrise or an afternoon on the back deck, we hope you enjoy it better with a cup of Soma.
As Horace said two thousand years ago, “Be wise, pour a Soma, forget your chores, and just enjoy a little moment. Clocks are silly. Seize the day today - forget about tomorrow.”*
With love,
Rose, Alistair, and the team at Soma
*loose translation, expresses the spirit of the ode
