How many times have you been advised to take care of yourself? What does that really mean? One way to start to take better care of yourself is to look at how you actually spend your time and what you do every day. It is very easy to go on “automatic pilot,” moving from activity to activity throughout the day without noticing what nourishes you and what is depletes you. Obligations, the demands of others, routine, and making a living, can all make demands on our time, and we often react without thinking. Worse, when we are feeling stressed, depressed or bad about ourselves, it is very easy to take a “why bother” attitude and do even less of the things we enjoy.
You might begin by asking yourself these questions:
1.Of the things I do, what actually increases my sense of aliveness, my sense of being present, and pleasure? What “feeds me” or gives me more energy?
2.What drains me, decreases my sense of aliveness, or depletes my energy?
3. While I accept that there are some aspects of my life I cannot change, or cannot change right now, could I chose to give more time to some things that increase my alivenss and presence? Could I chose to give less to those things that deplete it?
Here are a few things you can do that may increase your sense of aliveness:
1. Make a ‘joy list’ of all the things that make you happy and give you pleasure. These could be large or small, from petting a puppy to trekking in Tibet. Think about including more of them in your life on a daily basis.
2. Take a three-minute mindfulness break during the day. Breath. Be present to the moment. Notice something beautiful, a tree, a cloud, a flower, an animal, the quality of sunlight.
3. Daily exercise. Walking, running, swimming, yoga. To help change your mood, exercise in a way that raises the heart rate and makes you break a sweat. Doing this for 30 minutes, four to five times per week, is recommended.
4. Engage in social activities. Spend more time with friends.
5. Be of benefit to others. Help out. Volunteer. Practice generosity.
6. Practice gratitude. Take note of the good things in your life. Keep a gratitude list. Outwardly express your gratitude to others.
7. Pay attention to ‘unfinished business’ that may be sapping your energy. See if you can take a ‘just do it’ attitude towards important things that have been put on the back burner.