Digging for Personal Treasures
When was the last time you took great pains to plan and do something by yourself? I am not talking about getting your nails done or a massage. Good things for sure, but do you, on a regular basis plan something special to do with yourself; as if you were you were going out with your girlfriend or your mate but you are the girlfriend or the mate? When was the last time you stopped to really remember parts of you from long ago? Sound strange? In order to know and love yourself you need to nurture this relationship and I hope by now you are beginning to realize that your relationship with yourself should be above all others. Without you, there are no other relationships.
In the beginning I can tell you this was really hard for me to wrap my brain around. It was hard enough for me to make and keep a date out with the girls. I considered that “self time”. After all, as a single person, I was alone all the time unless I was out with friends, family or at work. And yes, I follow the “don’t turn on the TV” rule unless there is something specific I want to watch or hear. Yes, that allows me to be more present and hear myself think. So what was this take time out to do something special with me thing I kept reading about? I can tell you that once I forced myself to do it I began to understand and really enjoy it. The result; I began to acknowledge that I was important, special, worth knowing and understanding and it made a big difference in how I felt about myself. In fact I found that I am more interesting than I thought or remembered! I began to feel more creative, self confident, relaxed and comfortable with myself. Eventually I noticed I was nicer and more considerate to myself when I wasn’t on my date! I also found myself enthusiastic about discovering and trying new things. Knowing that this might be a new concept the following are some ideas to get your mind going. We are all different, so find things you enjoy. It will grow and I think you will find yourself looking forward to your outings!
Ground Rules:
· Turn off all distractions, phones, TV, computers. I promise you the world will not come to an end if you are MIA for a few hours. The purpose is to be alone with yourself, to remember, experience and get to know you.
· Don’t do something that is a “kill two birds with one stone” thing. Make sure it is either something you really enjoy or something or someplace that is new to you and you really want to try.
Ideas:
· Pack some fruit and bottled water and go to a pretty park and read a book.
· Go to the mall and purchase a book. Then get coffee and pretend to read but people watch instead!
· Go to a Jazz bar and drink a glass of wine and listen to some music.
· Rediscover the Zoo or botanical garden in your area. Take your camera and make a photo journal of the day! The dollar stores have wonderful inexpensive little albums that are great for this.
· Take a day to wander around a flea market or the farmers market.
· Take a class about something new you’ve never done before and want to try. (My most recent was an African drum class. Loved it, and plan to continue)
· If you like to cook buy a new cook book or find a recipe in a magazine that looks interesting and plan a night to cook a nice dinner for yourself with candles and wine and then curl up with a good book or watch your favorite feel good movie.
· Buy a hammock on a frame and put it on your patio with a pretty throw and pillow. Spend some special time alone in it to read, daydream or write in your journal while sipping herbal water or tea.
· Whenever you are out on your adventures purchase little nonsense things you know you love and put them in a special drawer or box. Spray your favorite fragrance inside it or add some scented candles. Collect special soap, your favorite chocolate, a new book, music, perhaps some profoundly frivolous slippers, ( think fluffy feathers), a pretty new nightgown, scented eye mask, a special tea cup or wine glass you that doesn’t match anything you have and tea or a special bottle of wine to go with! Then on your special day, when the time is just right dig in your drawer or box and craft a perfect day or evening. Mmmmmm.
· Buy a special frame and place a photo from one of your outings that made you happy or inspired on your desk. Change the photo weekly. A perfect way to remind yourself of how special you are.
· Take a day or evening to dig out those boxes of photos that are stashed away in the closet or garage and go through them. Pick several pictures of you that bring back memories of a time when you felt really good about yourself or what you accomplished. Make a photo journal and write about what and how you felt at that time in your life. Frame a few and put them where you can see them for inspiration to recapture those feelings and characteristics you want with you today. When I did this I suddenly realized that I had photos of family and friends scattered about my house but not a single picture of only me doing anything. This one was fun, here’s how mine turned out:
· Here is another treat. I don’t know if any of you have saved mementos but I discovered a whole box of memories while scavenging for photos. There were cards, letters and poems written to me from long ago relationships, and occasions. Wow. I discovered very interesting buried treasures here. Some made me remember parts of me I want to magnify again and some made me proud that I am no longer that person. Powerful stuff! Dig around; go find them, this is really worth the effort.
There is opportunity for real growth as you spend time with yourself and recapture your most important relationship, YOU. It is so easy to become numb and regimented about our lives as the years tick by. There are forgotten treasures within you to be remembered and explored. Find them and discover how unique and special you are.
§ Happy hunting! Feel free to share your comments or suggestions below or email me at deborah@womenintransitiononline.com.
Enjoy yourself, you deserve it.
v By the way, to receive your free Life Journey Tools, simply click the “register for a site account” button on the right, enter your name and email and you will have access to all downloads! (I value your privacy as I do my own, your information will never be shared.)
Outside resource:
§ Book: Simple Abundance
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Deborah Hayes, CTA Life Coach
Empowering women to live a life of consequence, a life without regrets that is your own unique version of the life you love. About Deborah
480-656-2026
deborah@womenintransitiononline.com
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