When I landed my first agency PR job in Dallas, I had no idea how stressful it could be. My favorite lunchtime retreat (that is, when I took time for lunch) was to steal away to the bookstore around the corner and get lost in the peace and quiet, even the comforting smell of ink on the books’ pages.
On one of these trips I found Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach, a nightstand favorite that still reminds me all these years later to take care of myself, my mind and soul. Formatted as daily essays, this book makes it easy to simply help you pause — a definite healthy habit we should all practice.
Don’t work harder, longer, more frantically, hoping you’ll catch up. Here’s the memo you may have missed: You. Never. Will. We are noted for our industriousness but we’re also leaders in heart attack statistics. So, before you rush off to do that very important thing, just check out a few of these wise guidelines that I’ve extracted from my (very dog-eared) copy and choose just one to implement this week. Seriously, don’t roll your eyes. Just do it!
Cultivate gratitude ~ Begin and end the day with prayer, meditation, or reflection ~ Keep it simple ~ Never make a promise you can’t keep ~ Breath deeply and often ~ Move…walk, dance, run! ~ Laugh more often ~ Always opt for comfort ~ If you don’t love it, live without it ~ Stop trying to please everybody ~ Start pleasing yourself ~ Don’t be afraid of your passion ~ Honor your aspirations ~ Savor beauty ~ Search for your authentic self until you find him/her
Let us hear from you. What do you do to cultivate healthy solitude and serenity in your life?
Author by Kristi Anderson
