Sophie Tran

1Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), Paris, France 2Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Public and Occupational Health, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 3Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Quality of Care, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 4Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Santé Publique (EHESP), Rennes, France 5Department of Family Medicine, National University Health System, Singapore,...

This is a short note as a reminder to spend more time with yourself and be truly present. In our daily lives, we are always with ourselves from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to bed, and this continues for years and years. However, were we truly with ourselves – or just a version of ourselves? This article invites you to bring more awareness to the daily life you share with yourself. It’s easy to get caught up in the endless routine – whether you enjoy it or not.

In our daily lives, from the moment we wake up, we rush through the start of our day, preparing ourselves to handle endless responsibilities, emails, deadlines, and both meaningful and mundane interactions, giving ourselves only a few days off, imposed by work and society, to rest and truly enjoy life, namely Saturday and Sunday. What is centering yourself for growth, moving each time closer to your goals while maintaining a good balance in life?