Self-Renewal
Ideas
What
do you do when you finally manage to squeeze in some personal
time? What will lift your spirits and renew yourself? Here
are some renewing ideas for you:
List
your 20 favorite things to do and plan at least 10 of them.
Progressive
Muscle Relaxation
Do
Yoga
Go
to the make-up counter and try on some of the new make-up.
Then buy yourself a little treat.
Plan
something fun to look forward to every evening.
Take
time to laugh with some comic books or rent a comedy.
Take
a bubble bath. Light some candles and turn on some soothing
music. Put on a face mask, deep condition your hair or just
close your eyes and relax. After your bath, wrap yourself
in a cozy, terry cloth robe.
Write
your autobiography. I'll bet you will find you have had
a pretty interesting life.
Plan
to watch the sunrise every day this week.
Every
week or every month review your list of goals. See what
you have accomplished and congratulate yourself. Then see
where you can improve on some goals. Decide what changes
you need to make that will help you be more effective.
Do
something that requires boldness- Learn to sail or draw,
go rafting, hike a mountain. Do what you think you can't.
Write
a mission statement. This is just a statement of what you
want to do, who your want to be, and your purpose.
The Covey Homepage has a wonderful Mission Statement
Builder.
Take
a nap. Naps are allowed for those of us over three, too.
Go
to the movies or rent a movie to watch alone with no interruptions.
Listen
to some music while lying on the couch, sing to your favorite
CD's, or play an instrument. I love the keyboard.
Stroke
your cat, play with your dog, watch your fish, love your
pet.
Retreat.
Take
up a new hobby or renew an old one. Gardening, line dancing,
model building.
Do
something creative. Write, bake, paint, sculpt.
Move
your body. Dance, bike ride, aerobics, ski, shoot baskets.
Meditate,
pray or just be silent.
In
her book Simple Abundance Sarah Ban Breathnach suggests
making an illustrated discovery journal. This is a sketchbook
where you paste pictures you cut out of magazines, quotes,
postcards of things you love. The purpose is so you become
closer to understanding what it is you truly enjoy. Here
is my journey on the Simple Abundance
Path.
Write
in a journal. You don't just have to put in days events,
you can write your goals, do character sketches of people
you know, do journal
exercises, or make a dream journal to record your nighttime
dreams.
Say
affirmations aloud. Affirmations are statements you want
to come true. i.e. "I am a confident, successful person."
Start
a collection. I love to wash and rearrange my unicorn collection.
Write
letters. But, only personal correspondence if you enjoy
it.
Sew.
This personally makes me frustrated rather than relaxed.
But, my mother in law loves to sit and crochet.
Make
an idea file or notebook of anything that interests you.
Ads from the paper, magazine articles, things off the internet.
Browse
a bookstore or another store. Window shop. Go at your own
pace.
Take
a trip down memory lane. Reread old journals and love letters,
look through old pictures, leaf through your scrapbooks.
If you don't have any of these memory makers, why don't
you start one?
Go to
the library. Read some magazines. Check out some books on
subjects you always wanted to learn.
Play
cards, a computer game or do a crossword puzzle or word
game.
Take
a walk. A walk in nature is especially therapeutic. Pay
attention to the colors of the trees, smell the air, thank
God for his magnificence.
Read.
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Copyright
© 2002 Beth Dargis
| Zeeland, MI |
All rights reserved.
