1. Listen to classical music or other relaxing music
2. Play with pets.
3. Burn incense
4. Artistic and creative pursuits
5. Athletic pursuits
6. Do something fun
7. Go swimming
8. Laugh at fart jokes
9. Go for a car ride to enjoy the scenery and the fresh air

Therapeutic Practices

1. Progressive muscle relaxation
2. Do relaxation exercises (meditation, visualization, self-hypnosis, for example)
3. Massage therapy
4. Yoga
5. Hydrotherapy.
6. Practice biofeedback
7. Write in a journal.
8. Meditation
9. Counseling
10. Traditional Chinese exercises like Tai Chi or Qi Gong.

Attitudes

1. Be playful and funny.
2. Be open-minded.
3. Cultivate a sense of gratitude for the things that are right in your life

Relationship to God

1. Appreciate all the good things in life that are free
2. Appreciate how beautiful nature is
3. Appreciate stillness. “Be still, and know that I am God.” ~ The Bible
4. Take time to relax. “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” Exodus 20:12

Physical/Habits

1. Practice slow, deep breathing. Deep breathing in the cool night air
2. Take a walk in the fresh air.
3. Get proper nutrition from whole foods, and avoid junk food
4. Take frequent breaks between activities to stretch and breathe
5. Regular physical activity
6. Avoid alcohol use
7. Brush and floss teeth regularly
8. Get adequate sleep
9. Correct posture
10. Avoid nonprescription (recreational) drugs
11. Take a hot bath or soak feet in hot water
12. Sex
13. Drink hot tea, such as Chamomile
14. Relaxation music before bed
15. B vitamins
16. Have a regular routine
17. Sleep with the window open, and breathe deeply
18. Find ways to laugh every day.
19. Adequate hydration
20. Go out in the sunshine.
21. Hydrate your body with pure water, 8 glasses a day if possible

Relationship to Self

1. Have realistic expectations for yourself.
2. Learn to laugh at yourself.
3. Be assertive and stand up for yourself.
4. Be kind to yourself.
5. Do something for yourself every day.
6. Stop trying to please people and start pleasing yourself first.
7. Be authentic – be yourself!
8. Positive self-talk.
9. Self-acceptance
10. Give yourself a break.
11. Figure out what you need to do to take care of yourself.
12. Ask for what you want, need, and desire.
13. Refuse responsibility that does not belong to you.
14. Pursue all of your favorite things
15. Love and nourish yourself first
16. Listen to your body.
17. Control myself, not others.”
18. Make positive statements to yourself.
19. Believe in yourself.

Relationship to Others

1. Spend time with people who nourish and treasure you.
2. Treat others with respect.
3. Talk to friends who unconditionally love you.
4. Set your boundaries with others.
5. Get a hug from a loved one.
6. Confront the chronic complainer in your life and ask them to realize the impact of their behavior on you.
7. Avoid getting caught in the middle of other people’s conflicts.
8. Saying No when your gut says no
9. Have a ritual for letting go of people who leave your life.
10. Smile freely.
11. Avoid extra responsibility that isn’t yours to take on.
12. Let go of people who you love who don’t love you back.
13. Let people be who they are.

Thinking and Habits

1. Change the way you think about a situation
2. Accept what you cannot change or control
3. Practice positive thinking
4. See problems as opportunities
5. Ask for help when you need it
6. Practice problem-solving skills creatively
7. Prayer and letting the problem be God’s problem.
8. There’s a time for giving up on something. Know when to cut your losses.
9. Let go of the need to be perfect
10. Write down what stresses you, and how you responded, and how you might respond differently next time.
11. Do some things that you have been putting off
12. Within reason, don’t do what you don’t want to do
13. Be proactive instead of reactive
14. Have a sense of humor and laugh at everything in life
15. Take action to solve problems instead of letting them grow
16. Set realistic goals
17. Simplify your possessions
18. Put your keys and wallet in the same place every day
19. Leave extra time so that you are not running late
20. Don’t run up debts when it can be avoided
21. Wear comfortable clothing

Time and Money Management

1. Break large tasks into manageable chunks with reasonable deadlines
2. Get organized
3. Do things right away when they need to be done. Avoid procrastination.
4. Manage time and money more effectively
5. Use a reserve line to cover overdrafts
6. Let go of tasks that someone else could do
7. Set your stuff out the night before you go somewhere
8. Always have a bit of cash on hand for the unexpected expense

Silence and Stillness

1. Spend time sitting in a flower garden
2. Spend some time listening to the waves, or listening to a cassette of waves
3. Take time to enjoy the hot soapy water when doing dishes
4. Take time every day to sit and do nothing for a few minutes

Communication

1. Communicate with your supervisor when problems arise at work that you need help with
2. Communicate when it is necessary. Honestly express how you feel
3. Communicate with your doctor and let him/her know what is or isn’t working
4. Communicate when people upset you, and let them know it, instead of holding it in

Herbs

1. Ginseng boosts stamina, energy, and ability to handle crisis
2. Raw parsley boosts adrenal gland function (adrenal glands give extra reserve in emergencies)

Change

1. A change of employment.
2. A change of scenery
3. Do something new
4. Take a vacation.

Boundaries

1. Set time boundaries
2. Set money boundaries.
3. Set emotional boundaries.
4. Live with your energy limits.

Everyone is very familiar with the constant chatter in your brain. Meditation tries to clear the chatter and allow the quiet, intuitive side of the brain a chance.

The brain is divided into two hemispheres, the left and the right. The left side of the brain is the logical side, the side which believes it is in charge and never stops chattering. The right brain is the intuitive side, the “Eureka” side if you like. It provides the answers although you may not be quite sure how you reached it. The right side of the brain cannot communicate in plain language. As in dreams it all comes in the form of symbols and images and you can have great fun interpreting them.

If you do find yourself receiving images, don’t try to analysis them while you are meditating, write them down immediately after you finish and take your time reading the signs. As with anything involving symbolism, the interpretation is very individual; what it means to you personally it the important thing. Scientists reckon we use 10% of our brain function which gives us 90% of exciting possibilities about what else we can do.

Gaining access to the right side of your brain is what you are doing with meditation. Essentially what we need to do is quiet the chatter of the left side of the brain and you do that by boring it into submission. For example if you concentrate really hard on counting each breath, say to a count of 10 breaths, the left side of the brain will kick in with the latest shopping list or the conversation you had with someone last week. However, if you gently bring you mind back to counting each breath starting again at 1 the left brain will quiet. At first you may only succeed for a second or two but each time your mind wanders just gently begin your count again and eventually your clutter will clear for longer and longer periods.

Huh, I hear you say what is the sense of all that? I don’t get images or flashes or anything. That’s OK, there is nothing wrong, at this point you are just trying to condition your mind to a state of quiet and relaxation. Even with the simple exercise you are taking the first steps in Self-Care and while you do that you are also learning to relax. That slows your heart rate, brings down your Blood Pressure, allows hormone levels to settle and relax and release toxins from your muscles. In our present stressful society that is no mean thing. You will feel better.

The power of your mind is a big as the universe. Exploring it in different forms is fun, challenging and exciting. It opens whole new worlds of possibilities. This is just the start.