Do you have a happy place? You know, the kind of place that, whenever you go there, you feel peaceful or happy? Or both?

Whenever I need to clear my head, I take a scenic drive to one of my happy places, and I end up under a crab apple tree in the park of a small town. It’s incredibly quiet there, so I can enjoy the peacefulness of my surroundings. I write, wiggle my toes in the grass, watch hawks circling nearby, read, and  just enjoy being by myself. It recharges my batteries and helps me feel more grounded.

When was the last time you visited your happy place or did something that made you happy? In the busy pace of life, it’s sometimes difficult to carve out time to connect with ourselves, be it by going to a happy place or doing something that we truly love to do. In fact, it’s sometimes easier to make time to connect with others or even to connect to something bigger than ourselves than it is to connect with ourselves.

But part of our mental, emotional, and even spiritual well being is found in regularly and honestly connecting with ourselves. In doing this, we shed the roles we take on each day and are able to be our genuine, true selves for a bit. It grounds us and reminds us that we’re more than what we do each day and more than the roles we assume. For just a little while, it helps us be the people we want to be, rather than the people others expect or demand we be. And in truly connecting with ourselves, we recharge and refocus, helping us then have more to give to the people we love each day—including ourselves.

This week, I encourage you to make time to connect with yourself. Take an hour or an afternoon to make a little time just for you apart from the busy-ness of your life to be who you genuinely are. Your spirit will thank you for it.