How Do You...

If you're on my list you get a Pleasure Point (PP) in your inbox on Mondays and this blog/newsletter on Thursdays. Once in a while I wonder about connecting the two. Lately, and especially this week, it felt like a natural link. I knew I had a lot more to say about the questions I raised in the PP. Read on as we dive deeper, together, into the pleasurable topic of self-care ...

This week's PP:

"How do you take of yourself?

What kind of attention do you give your body?

What do you do to give your mind a rest?

How do you nurture your soul?

How do you take care of yourself? Do you have certain rituals or routines? Most of us do simple things like brush our teeth, floss, take a shower, use a moisturizer. Half the time we can barely remember that we actually did any of them. The second question from the Pleasure Point is really more important ... are you paying attention to your body and the acts of care??

So much of our life can end up on auto-pilot. For some, driving back and forth to work

becomes an exercise in mindlessness. If asked, most of us might realize that we hardly remember the ride and we arrive at our destination almost with a sense of surprise.

The same could be said of our body care. Even if we take the time to use cream or lotion, for example, it becomes automatic, almost careless. I sometimes wonder, when we have an achy joint or some other part that's "acting up", if it's our body trying get our attention! One side of the mind-body connection is the idea that problems originate in the mind and show up in the body. What is your body trying to tell you?

Along this line, are you able to take "mind breaks" or is it whirling all the time? Your mind and thoughts need a rest, too. If you tried to run without stopping, at some point your body would simply quit. The same thing can happen in our heads and sleep is not necessarily the time out that we need. One way to slow the busy thought process down is to simply become aware of a part of your body, like your feet, and then, watch your breath go in and out. Focusing on that or even just some deep breathing will calm you almost immediately.

Finally, what feeds your soul? Do you need time alone every day? Is music a path to connecting with yourself? Is there an area of your life that seems frivolous, but might actually be essential? What "silly" activity would you like to do yet don't? I encourage you to pick up that sketch pad, go for a walk in the woods, take a dance class ... whatever makes you feel lighter, excited and happier.

As the Pleasure Point continues:

These are important questions to ask...

Do you like the answers?

If you don't, you can change that.

What kind of tweaks can you make this week that will help you honor your magnificent self? How can you show up? Find just one way and have fun with it.