Recent Newsletters
January 2010 -
Start Your Year off Right, Be Good to Yourself!
Now that the joy and stress of the holiday season is over, it's time to look forward into the New Year. This year, why not start off by taking care of yourself. These days we are all so over-scheduled that being good to ourselves and taking care of ourselves often gets bumped down - sometimes way down - on our list of priorities; this can lead to stress, unhealthy tension and even burnout. So I am suggesting that you begin this year with a plan to honour yourself.
1) Commit to Honouring Yourself.
This may sound like an easy thing to do, after all many of us make some kind of New Year's Resolution to better ourselves. A large number of us even give it a good go for a few days or even weeks, but the majority of us fall short of making any real changes to be truly good to ourselves. The first step is about making a commitment to yourself by acknowledging that you are important and worth taking care of. By honouring yourself in this way, you will refine the quality of the energy that you transmit to the people around you. When you treat yourself with love and respect, others will tune in to your energy and are more apt to treat you that way too. This may not resonate with some of the people currently in your life, and they may tune you out or choose to move on. However, you will find that others will tune into your energy more frequently and you will likely make some new quality connections and relationships. This kind of change has the potential to make your life flow with a lot more ease and a lot less drama. Once you have made a real commitment to be good to yourself, you must take concrete action, or nothing will change.
2) Action Steps to Being Good to Yourself.
The first thing you need to do is decide on at least two things you can do weekly for yourself. Think of the activities that you really feel great about doing and completing. They can be as simple as going for a brisk walk twice a week, or locking the bathroom door, unplugging from life and taking a relaxing bubble bath. Whatever activities you decide on, be honest with yourself and make sure they truly make you feel great.
The next step is to make the time commitment and to create a time block. Mark on your calendar which day(s) you will commit to doing the activities you chose for yourself and what these things are. Now honour this commitment the same way you would honour a doctor's appointment or a business meeting. Try your best not to cancel your appointment with yourself, unless there is a serious unforeseen situation. It's ok to let others know that you are taking some time for yourself.
You will feel the results of engaging in and completing your chosen activities immediately, especially if you've given some thought and care in making your choices. Over time, as you continue to strengthen your commitment to yourself, by making these activities habitual, your stress levels will likely reduce, and your levels of happiness and inner peace may increase dramatically - talk about a great payoff! Furthermore, by committing to taking care of yourself you are saying to you and the rest of the world, "I am worth it, I do honour and care about myself."
So go ahead and celebrate 2010 with a commitment to take care of yourself this year, because you are worth it!