Here’s a bunch self-nurturing things that I do sometimes, or often, and think that others might like to participate in too …

Treat yourself!

Go out and buy yourself a bunch of flowers to sit in your room, or a CD to listen to, or a ticket to a concert. Something that you don’t usually do. And make sure it’s something that you really want, not just something you need!

Give yourself a wonderful hug!

Everybody needs hugs. I need 8 a day to survive and 10 to thrive properly!

Read Quotes!

I’m always on the lookout for short sayings that feel good. Here are some of the positive and uplifting ones. Every so often, I choose a few and print them out and stick them on the wall beside my bed so I can read them every night.

Pray!

I guess this sounds rather strange, because I don’t actually believe that there are gods up there listening to me, but I still sometimes like to pray. Just saying things out loud can be useful sometimes. When I’m not just saying what comes into my head, these are my favourite prayers and sayings.

Relax!

I guess most of the things on this page are different ways relaxing and ‘taking a breath’ from life, but it’s useful to do specific relaxation things sometimes too. Take a look at my Alternatives to Meditation page.

Listen to Music!

Music is wondrous stuff. Try doing it differently from just having standard ordinary music on in the background all day. Find a song you really like and haven’t heard for a while, put it on, and concentrate every single fibre of your being on listening to that song. Interesting effect that’s generated, isn’t it! Or just sing along when there’s nobody around to listen!

Light a Candle!

I’m not sure why candles are magical things, but they definitely are.

Have Hope!

Sometimes hope is the only thing we have left to hang on to, but we always have hope. Land Of Hope was the name of the miniseries I loved that was on TV here in Australia many years ago. The words to the theme-song are very powerful and I keep them close by at all times.

Use Affirmations

Affirmations are often dismissed as "new-age tripe" but they actually can have a lot of power. I have a program called "Cocoa Fortune" which pops up an affirmation of my choosing on the screen of my iMac computer four times a day.

Get off the computer!

Computers and the Internet are wonderful creations. They allow us to interact with people that we’d probably never meet anywhere else, and to create things, and to talk about things, but despite all that they just aren’t the same. So turn off your computer and wander outside and look at the bird and the bees and soak up the sun! You can always turn the computer on later.

Turn off the TV

This is probably an ever stranger notion even than not using the computer. Just in case you’re at a loss, here’s lots of things to do instead of TV.

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This article was originally published at Be Gentle With Yourself and is copyright (C) Ricky Buchanan 2010. May be forwarded but do not republish without permission.

… attend school.
… attempt something considered to be impossible and prove all your critics wrong.
… admit your darkest secrets.
… arrive early to your next appointment.
… act like it until you feel like it.
… bake your own bread.
… begin a new hobby.
… be kind to yourself for a change.
… bow grandly and say “Thank you” next time you get a compliment.
… breathe deeply.
… brush somebody else’s hair.
… brush your teeth.
… call a friend.
… call me sometime.
… change the world.
… change your mind.
… change your underwear.
… chase rainbows.
… choose a colour and paint your bedroom.
… choose your long distance phone carrier.
… chop wood.
… clean the windows.
… clean your drawers.
… clean your room.
… climb a tree.
… colour outside the lines.
… comb your hair.
… complete a 10,000 piece jigsaw.
… compose a song.
… cook a cake.
… create a legacy for the future.
… cross that bridge when you come to it.
… cuddle your family.
… dance the jitterbug.
… dance the night away.
… debate something you feel strongly about with your local politician.
… dig in the garden.
… don’t covet your neighbour’s ass.
… don’t spread rumours.
… do the dishes.
… do the laundry.
… do the Macarena.
… do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
… do your favourite exercise.
… eat a good breakfast.
… eat all you wish.
… escape.
… express yourself creatively.
… excite your partner, then both run away to the bedroom!
… fall in love.
… fall over.
… find buried treasure.
… finish that book you’ve been reading.
… fix something that’s broken.
… floss your teeth.
… follow your dream.
… forget it can’t be done, do it anyway.
… forgive a grudge.
… found a literary movement.
… get your cholesterol checked.
… go bowling.
… go fishing.
… go for a walk.
… go for broke.
… go ice skating.
… go on public transport.
… go rock-climbing.
… go to a church, synagogue, pagan festival or a house of worship.
… go to the library.
… go to the planetarium.
… go to town, where all the lights are bright.
… have an annual checkup.
… have more fun.
… harmonise your decor.
… haggle with a street merchant.
… help someone build a house.
… herd cats.
… hide easter-eggs everywhere.
… host a party.
… hug a close friend.
… hear the sounds of silence.
… ignore what your mother told you.
… invent a word.
… invite an enemy over and make up.
… improvise a play.
… inspire somebody to greater heights.
… bounce on a trampoline.
… jump on the bed.
… joust with somebody from the SCA.
… jingle your keys on the way out the door.
… keep an appointment.
… kiss your lover.
… laugh at commuters.
… learn a language you think sounds beautiful.
… learn improvisational comedy.
… learn to master your computer instead of letting it master you.
… lick an ice-cream.
… line dance.
… line up dominoes in a row and watch them fall over.
… listen to a symphony orchestra.
… listen to the wind.
… live simply.
… live your dreams.
… look at the stars.
… look at the world with the eyes of a child.
… look out the window.
… make an inventory.
… make a tape of yourself singing, reciting a poem, or just talking in every language you know, and save it for your grandchildren.
… make mud pies.
… make up with somebody you argued with.
… memorise a poem that you love.
… mend a fence.
… minister to the sick.
… mow the grass.
… paint a picture.
… paint the town red.
… participate in a fun-run.
… pay a bill before it’s due.
… pick up rubbish.
… pick your seat.
… pile it higher and deeper.
… plan a trip.
… plant a garden.
… plant a tree that won’t be fully grown for 3 generations.
… play ping-pong.
… play with children.
… play with your children.
… prepare your will.
… pursue art for art’s sake.
… raise money for a good cause.
… read a book.
… realize your weight doesn’t matter.
… rearrange the furniture.
… recycle old newspapers.
… reduce, reuse, recycle.
… remember that eating is not a sin.
… renounce your secret crush.
… re-plant native vegetation in a degraded area.
… ride a bicycle.
… ride the bus.
… role-play.
… save an engendered species.
… set lower standards for yourself.
… settle old bets.
… shake hands with your neighbours.
… sharpen all your pencils.
… shoot baskets.
… shoot the rapids.
… sing.
… skip class to do something important.
… sneak outside and jump up and down in the long grass.
… sort some papers.
… sort your old photographs.
… spend time with the aged.
… start a compost heap.
… state the fundamental theorem of calculus.
… stoke a fire until sparks fly.
… support a new mother, somebody with a chronic illness or disease, or somebody new to the country.
… swim underwater until you run out of breath.
… switch banks.
… take a bath.
… take another look around.
… take photos and show them to somebody who can’t get there.
… take up acting.
… talk to your cat.
… talk to your Mum.
… talk with someone.
… teach a class.
… teach someone to read.
… tell everybody you love that you love them.
… tell someone that you love them.
… test the smoke detector.
… test your patience.
… throw out everything still in boxes since the last house move.
… throw out junk.
… tie your shoes.
… toil in obscurity.
… treasure the moments.
… tune a guitar.
… use recycled timber.
… use the library.
… visit an art museum.
… visit a new restaurant.
… volunteer to clean up a city park.
… volunteer to spend time with lonely immigrants.
… wake up and smell the coffee.
… walk along the seashore, lake-shore, desert, mountains, or parking lot.
… walk anywhere.
… walk the dog.
… walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
… watch a game of Theatre-sports.
… watch a play or musical.
… work at your local humane society and spend time with animals.
… write a letter in longhand.
… write a manifesto.
… write a poem.
… write the great (topic-of-your-choice) novel.
… write to an immigrant in detention.

I’d love to hear what you do instead of watching TV! Feel free to leave your ideas and suggestions and experiences in a comment or mail me and I’ll add your contribution just as soon as I get around to it (might be a while, I’m busy not-watching-TV myself, just now! *grin*).

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This article was originally published at Instead Of TV … and is copyright (C) Ricky Buchanan 2010. May be forwarded but do not republish without permission.

Here it is:

When you’re living through a hard time
You must hold onto your dreams,
And you never give up hoping
Even though sometimes it seems
That the hard times are too many,
And the good times are too few,
And the hope of better thing
Is all you have to see you through.

So hold onto your dreams
We’ll be dreaming together,
And we’ll do our best to make things
Just a little bit better.

There’s a light within you burning,
Though sometimes the flame burns small.
And step by step, we’ll build
A land of hope for us all.
Yes, step by step, we’ll build
A land of hope for us all

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This article was originally published at Land Of Hope and is copyright (C) Ricky Buchanan 2010. May be forwarded but do not republish without permission.

May wisdom shine through me
May love glow in me
May strength penetrate me
That in me may arise
A helper of mankind
A servant of holy things
Selfless, and true.
— Rudolf Steiner

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rain fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again
May god hold you in the palm of his hand.
— Irish Blessing

I carry my suffering
Into the sinking sun.
I place all my sorrows
Into this shining orb.
Purified by light,
Transformed by love,
They will return
As helpful thoughts,
As strength
For joyful deeds.
— Rudolf Steiner (adapted slightly)

More to come …

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This article was originally published at Prayers And Sayings and is copyright (C) Ricky Buchanan 2010. May be forwarded but do not republish without permission.

You lift up your arms in request for a hug, and find yourself happy to be hugged by the sky itself … the clear blue sky with just a few fluffy white clouds and a truly beautiful strong rainbow filling the whole sky … as you feel yourself hugged by the sky and the beautiful rainbow you feel each colour of the rainbow sharing the best of itself with you …

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This article was originally published at A Rainbow Hug and is copyright (C) Ricky Buchanan 2010. May be forwarded but do not republish without permission.

_________________________________

is hereby and forever entitled to …

Act silly, get excited about everything, be different, climb
trees, get up early, do nothing, give up worry and guilt and shame, take
naps, collect rainbows, feel sad, fly kites, be a clown, feel happy, be unique,
blow bubbles, play loud music, build sand-castles, change, dance, daydream,
do things badly and not mind, draw and paint, drink fizzy drinks, enjoy having
a body, stay up late, fall down, get up again, trust the universe, un-make
old rules and make up new rules, walk in the rain, get new shoes, go barefoot,
have pillow fights, hide under the covers, hold hands, hug and kiss, make
friends with other kids, feel scared, find out how things work, make friends
with themselves, hug trees, jump in mud puddles, laugh and cry, learn new
stuff, listen to music, look at the sky, love stuffed toys, make a mess,
make magic, go on adventures, have a merry heart, be challenged, make mistakes
and be forgiven, paint their toenails purple, play under the covers, play
with toys, read children’s books, save the world, say hello to everyone,
see things differently, sing in the shower, sleep in late, smell flowers,
stop along the way, take bubble baths, talk with animals, tell stories, wander
around aimlessly, watch the moon and stars come out, delight in life, and
do anything else that brings more happiness, celebration, relaxation, communication,
health, love, joy, creativity, pleasure, abundance, grace, self-esteem, courage,
balance, spontaneity, passion, beauty, peace, energy and life to themselves
and others on the planet.

Furthermore, they are officially authorised to frequent amusement
parks, beaches, country-sides, mountain tops, swimming pools, forests, playgrounds,
picnic areas, birthday parties, circuses, ice cream parlours, theatres, aquariums,
zoos, museums, planetariums, toy shops, festivals and other places where
children of all ages come to play.

And they are encouraged to always remember that …

It’s Never Too Late To Start Your Happy Childhood!

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This article was originally published at Certificate Of The Right To Play! and is copyright (C) Ricky Buchanan 2010. May be forwarded but do not republish without permission.