The Nurturing Oneself Idea
By pyewacket
@pyewacket (43903)
United States
May 31, 2007 5:04pm CST
This is the other flip of the coin of a discussion I started about patting yourself on the back of former things you're proud of in your life, but in this case, this is a current thing....what are you doing now to nurture yourself? To say, "Hey, I'm okay!"I'm a big fan of Julia Cameron's The Artist Way, and in it she brings forth the concept of doing something good for yourself...to nurture yourself on a regular basis. It doesn't have to be something grandiose...maybe even something silly but it is one way to instill in one's mind the idea that you're worthy and deserve a little treat now and then. The idea is to take time out at least once a week, but if you can do something nice for yourself on a daily basis even better. This could mean, even just buying a package of incense to burn just to fill your environment with a delightful scent, to maybe just taking quality time for even just ten minutes of doing absolutely nothing...except maybe stare at the walls...Anything...anything at all where you are nice to you.
Make a list of the nice things you have done for yourself on say a weekly basis...add to it everyday if you can.
Here's my list of things I've done so far this week.
1). Took a bath by candlelit with incense burning ( I actually do this every night )
2). Bought flower-shaped tea-lights to surround my bathtub at the 99-cent store
3). Made homemade macaroni and chicken salad to have a great salad dinner tonight
4). Went to the library and got a copy of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain to start reading tonight
5). Made my own sympathy card for a friend of mine whose husband just passed away (don't care for the usual kind of cards)
5 people like this
8 responses
@susieq223 (3742)
• United States
1 Jun 07
1. I take long bubble baths
2. I buy myself the occasional brand-new book instead of the usual used ones at thrift shops.
3. I buy myself flowers about every six weeks.
4. I get a Blizzard from Dairy Queen every now and then.
5. I pet my cats and hug them.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
2 Jun 07
Those sound great to me...I often will buy used books on Amazon.com...and they're actually have been in great condition, but one thing I'm going to pamper myself will be a nice brand new copy of the next Harry Potter book when it comes out...and number five is very important indeed!! give a hug to your kitties for me--
2 people like this
@dragonstar13 (1465)
• United States
1 Jun 07
I tried to do and be everything for everyone else in my family, for my friends and even for my clients at work. I took no time to do anything for me. Now I am on a doctor ordered two week medical leave from work. With instructions from the doctor to sleep, read and pamper myself.
So far I have
1. slept in everyday,
2. gone to my room in the evenings to read or watch TV leaving the dishes for someone else to do.
3. gone out to lunch almost every day
Not much, but it is a start.
It is so true, you have to take care of number one or you won't be able to take care of anyone else.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
2 Jun 07
What do you mean that's a start...that's wonderful...sometimes one needs to be selfish and take time for oneself and not do everything for everyone else
2 people like this
@tigerdragon (4297)
• Philippines
1 Jun 07
a dose of something nice for yourself a day is like drinking your vitamins and eating nutritional food.i can't seem to understand why some people mock this kind of thinking wherein they themselves are into something else parallel to this idea? maybe, these are people who lacks unto being nice to themselves and to other people.a positive dose of this nurtures the inner self.
@rosie_123 (6113)
•
1 Jun 07
Well I have just returned from 5 days in Paris (hence my disappearance from here for the past week), so I guess I have a lot of things to put here. It was my week with the girls - watching the tennis at the French Open and shopping in the Champs Elysees:-)) So here are some nurturing items from me this past week.........
(1) Made time for a nice, long, hot bath with lavendar oil every night while I was away. Really relaxing:-))
(2) Treated myself to a ridiculously expensive silk skirt in the ridiculously expensive Faubourg St Honore!
(3) Went to the Official Players' Party:-))
(4) Bought myself a box of very fattening chocolates and ate them all myself! LOL!
(5) Bought some really interesting gifts and knick-knacks, which will make great Christmas presents for some friends later in the year - so I guess I started my Christmas shopping really early!
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
2 Jun 07
All of those sound tres manifique!! Uh, oh...you ate a box of fattening cookies all by yourself...naughty girl--LOL
2 people like this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
2 Jun 07
Ever since I moved here 18 months ago I've been doing lots of little things to please "me". I'm certainly enjoying this new found freedom on a couple of different levels but still don't feel a sense of worth or value. I wonder what I'm doing incorrectly?
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
2 Jun 07
Well just keep doing nice things for yourself, even if it means being selfish at times..by that I mean I would hate it when people expected me to do favors for them, then the moment I wanted a favor they turn the other direction...so now I've gotten very good at saying no when asked a favor --especially if it would mean giving up something I wanted to do
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
6 Jun 07
My getting assertive...good for you...!!! So often we get suckered into doing things we DON'T want to do...so sometimes saying no is a great feeling!
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
31 May 07
My goodness....you watched all six movies in one sitting?? That really was a marathon!!
1 person likes this
@GnosticGoddess (5626)
• United States
7 Jun 07
This is another great idea. I think it's important to pamper yourself.
So far this week...ummm...it's still early in the week but I have eat a pizza (not suppose to be eating much with wheat, barley or rye in it) and later this weekend I'm hoping to have a lovely and delicious meal from Long John Silver - chicken and hush puppies! YUM! And this weekend is being reserved just for my hubby and I. We've been running around and having people over the last several weekends and I need a break - and hubby time too :) I think that's about it. But I'm great with that.
1 person likes this
@GnosticGoddess (5626)
• United States
9 Jun 07
LOL - I LOVE Dr. Scholls! I didn't get my Long John's yesterday but I will today!!
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
9 Jun 07
Well I can add to my list....doesn't sound like a momentous thing but I finally got two new pairs of shoes!! My running shoes were about to literally fall apart! LOL And way too hot for the summer. They had a buy one get one at half off sale...and these are two nice Dr. Scholls sandals...now I'm all set for the summer! :)
1 person likes this
@sumofalltears (3988)
• United States
1 Jun 07
I don't get a chance to do much for myself...I make sure I always have coffee, and I did all my cooking over the weekend so I just heat stuff up during the week. I am still reading Higher Authority at work and Point of Origin at home. I guess that would be it for me.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
2 Jun 07
I used to do that myself..would cook up foods in large quantities and then freeze everything...so all I had to do was reheat...saves a lot of time and energy--
1 person likes this
