Friday is here and we are enjoying another blustery and overcast Autumn day. I, personally am looking forward to my girlfriend's annual pumpkin carving party. We're adding a fun twist this year and having a chili cook off as well to show off and share our favorite chili recipes.
My girlfriend's Friday nights are a glorious reminder of the value of coming together with friends. At the end of a work week, for us, the end of a windy and rainy week, it is such an opportunity to refill and refresh in the company of great friends with lots of laughter and camaraderie.
This time of year, as the weather turns cooler, and we are tempted to begin our hibernation, it is a great time for gathering with friends and enjoying that togetherness. Know that every time you take time to gather with friends, you are supporting one another in more ways than on the surface. Catching up on one another's lives not only keeps you connected, which is huge in the realm of stress relief, but it also allows you to support one another without even knowing it sometimes.
As grown ups, it's so good for us to just go out and play every so often. Spend some time of pure relaxation, you let your kids go out and play when their homework is done, why don't you?
What are you doing this weekend to go out and play?
Who remembers this episode of Seinfeld?
Frank Costanza is advised to say "serenity now" aloud every time his blood pressure is in danger of going up, but he yells it instead.
We all have our tricks for when we're losing control. But do we recognize it soon enough?
Why do we wait until we're about to tip over the edge before we try to make ourselves feel better?
Why don't we focus on feeling better every day?
“Today is a most unusual day, because we have never lived it before; we will never live it again; it is the only day we have."
Today
can be a healthy unusual day for you -- and for others -- if you take
time to give someone a smile . . . to express a word of kindness . . .
to lend a helping hand to someone in need . . . to write a note of
gratitude . . . to give a word of encouragement to someone who is
temporarily overcome with problems . . . to share a portion of your
material possessions with others.
Happiness can't be forced like Frank Costanza tried to do, but it can be chosen. It can be sought.
Don't wait for tomorrow, don't wait for Friday, don't wait for the weekend or retirement or the kids to be in school or the kids to be out of school.
Choose happiness today.
Seek happiness today.
Your challenge today, should you choose to accept it is to think of something that makes you happy and do that thing. Eat ice cream, walk outside on your lunch hour, swing on a swing, dangle your feet in a pool, lake, river or pond.
Share your happy thing. I'd love to hear it, and who knows what you may inspire in another.
It's Friday, and I'm a day late on my 2nd post of the week.
Friday is fun day. It's an easy day to let go of stress and find our Happy Place. One of my girlfriends has a party every single Friday night, and no she's not 23. She gets the importance of connecting and unwinding and has established her home as a spot where friends and family know they can escape to at the end of a busy week.
That's me smack in the middle :)
I share often that a HUGE way to relieve your stress as a woman is to physically get together with other women. There is an actual change in our brain chemistry when we are together that increases our serotonin levels.
~ There is some evidence to support the theory that this is a result of pheromones, the same phenomenon that causes women's menstrual cycles to synchronize ~
However the science behind it works, I think we all know that my signature phrase "6 girlfriends and a bottle of wine" is a sure fire way to forget your troubles, reduce your stress and find your "Happy Place".
While I can't spend my normal full Friday late night at my girlfriends this week as I have a few things to finish getting set up at home for my big Launch Party on Sunday and Monday, I do look forward to popping by, celebrating the birthday of a friend (with a little relax with wax birthday gift) and getting my connection on.
What are you doing on this Friday Fun day to lower your stress and find your "Happy Place"? I'd love to hear about it!
Today, I want to share an article by Janie Franz.
This taking care of ourselves stuff is really truly important. Not all new age and woo woo. We blow it off and then we wonder why our physical and mental health is on a constant state of decline. We tell ourselves that we just need to make it through Friday and then we'll get a chance to regroup. Then the weekend comes and goes with its own list of to-do's and chores and obligations.
We really do need to have a space where we can relax, regroup and recharge so we can face the next day, or the rest of today.
In an age of advanced technology and labour saving devices, we are all working more and taking less time off. According to Rubin R. Naiman, author of Healing Night, during the last thirty years, people also have been working longer hours and more days per week, increasing their time at work by one full month or 150 extra hours a year. Work and family responsibilities keep us on the go and very stressed. We all need a special place that we can call our own to help us cope with this lifestyle and the stress it produces. Our homes are the natural venues for these special sanctuaries.
What is a Sanctuary?
A sanctuary is a place of refuge and safety. It is a place where you come to feel inspired and renewed. We all need a place we can escape to where we can rest, feel pampered, and recharge our spiritual batteries.
This is especially important for women. Though women may keep a household running and everybody else's spaces clean and functioning, they don't always have a place of their own. If your home is small or there are many living in your household, the need for your special space is even more crucial.
You need a place where you can relax, meditate, exercise, create, and pamper yourself. Though some of these activities can be done in group living spaces like a family room, living room, or a furnished basement, you will most likely be in a space where others are already present or where there is the potential for others to intrude on your activities. Some activities like meditation need solitude and cannot be done in when others can interrupt you.
Luxury or Necessity?
A home sanctuary is not a luxury. It is a critical part of coping with stress and meeting our basic needs and our being needs. That includes our biological needs, safety needs, aesthetic needs, cognitive needs, and transcendence needs.
Safety
We need to be able to come home to a restful, safe place where we can disconnect from the stresses of the day. We need to be able to close our doors (and lock them if we need to) and breathe a relaxing sigh. Feeling safe and comfortable in our homes or just one special room can help us cope.
Self-confidence
We also need to think well of ourselves and feel capable and belong. Activities that we do in our home sanctuary spaces can build our self-esteem. Here, we can reflect on our successes and develop new skills.
Belonging
Having a special sanctuary space can help us feel that we are valued and belong. We honor ourselves by creating a special place where we can engage in those activities that will help us create and know ourselves better. When others in the household respect our special place and our right to have it, we feel that we belong. If we can share our interests with others in our special place, that expands our sense of belonging.
Biological and Aesthetic Needs
Grooming routines combine both biological and aesthetic needs. Bathrooms and vanity areas are places where we take time to look good and feel even better. Having a place where we can pamper ourselves and explore new grooming tools (nail polish, new scented soaps, etc.) can help us relax and tap into playfulness.
Aesthetic needs can also be met by finding something beautiful to look at. Often this is art, photographs, sculpture, flowers, or plants. Having a special place to look at beauty is important in reducing our stress and helping us to grow as human beings.
Cognitive Needs
A home sanctuary can also be a place where we can continue to learn without the pressures of jobs or school. We can read or study for pleasure or to find meaning or solve problems. Therefore, having a special place is important for meeting our cognitive needs.
Transcendence Needs
Finally, a home sanctuary provides a place for us to meditate, create, and experience spiritual or peak experiences that give our lives added meaning. We can do this because we feel safe and protected and can then explore this inner, spiritual territory.
Creating a home sanctuary, therefore, is not a luxury but a way we can meet our basic needs and our being needs. We can use the insights we gain doing activities in our home sanctuary space that can help us grow as human beings. We also may learn skills to cope with the frenetic pace of our lives. We all need a special place where we can just relax and allow our bodies, minds, and spirits flourish.
Read more about Janie at http://www.relaxationexpert.co.uk
I'd love to hear about your home sanctuary space.
- Do you have one? What kind of space is it, a spa like bathroom, a cozy reading nook, a zen exercise and meditation space?
- If you don't have one, what would kind of space would you love to create?
