Thursday, November 29, 2007

Want To Be Happy? Be Kind To Yourself

by Tim Connor

Here is a list of things to consider doing to - pamper yourself, be kind to yourself or to help you deal with stress, frustration or any negative life throws in your way.
1. Practice forgiveness.
2. Let go of old emotional baggage.
3. Flush out negative thoughts.
4. Let go of all your shoulds.
5. Start a personal life journal.
6. Put a “do not disturb’ sign on the bedroom or bathroom door.
7. Do everything slower.
8. Start a new hobby.
9. Start a stress jar.
10. Be spontaneous.
11. See life through the eyes of a child.
12. Get control of your life.
13. Give yourself the gift of an hour a day.
14. Discover a new author to read in the bookstore or library.
15. Don’t answer the telephone when you are doing something else.
16. Spend an hour a day listening to your favorite music.
17. Release the expected and embrace the unexpected.
18. Pass it on anything you receive, a smile, an e mail, a kind deed.
19. Create a good stuff list.
20. Count your blessings in writing.
21. Say yes to everything that feels right.
22. Say no to everything that feels wrong.
23. Give yourself permission.
24. Throw something away.
25. Sing.
26. Surround yourself with color.
27. Laugh at everything.
28. Do something special for someone else.
29. Face all of your clocks to the wall.
30. Simplify your life.
31. Write a note to a special friend who you have not talked to in a while.
32. Write yourself a “love letter.”
33. Put it off, whatever, until tomorrow or next week.
34. Spend a day doing random acts of kindness for everyone you meet.
35. Start a life-long wish list.
36. Every day list 5 things that made the day - good - for you.
37. Reward yourself with something special.
38. See someone else’s faults as positive.
39. Live in the present moment.
40. Let go of all expectations of yourself and others.
41. Don’t take yourself too seriously.
42. Be optimistic.
43. Be responsible to people but not for them.
44. Listen to your inner urgings.
45. Whatever you do, do it with love and passion.
46. Be patient and trust the process of your life.
47. See life as neutral without winners and losers - victims and persecutors.
48. See those extra pounds you are carrying as stored energy waiting to be used.
49. Create psychological anchors.
50. Exercise and eat only nutritional foods.
51. Practice smiling in the mirror.
52. Choose wisely.
13 BONUS ITEMS: If you don’t like any item in the previous list you can substitute any of the following for them:
1. Detach from outcomes.
2. Control your thoughts.
3. Lock your ego in the closet.
4. Get rid of your hidden agendas.
5. Observe your own behavior.
6. Visit the pound or local animal shelter.
7. Spend an evening at a local nursing home as a volunteer.
8. Write a poem. (Doesn’t have to rhyme or make sense.)
9. Get a massage.
10. Spend a day at a spa.
11. Have a movie marathon.
12. Spend a day in the park, at the zoo, or anywhere other than your home.
13. See pain, stress, anxiety as a warning and a gift.

No comments: