Am I off my rocker? Of all days to pamper your inner child, Ash Wednesday? I told you what this year’s resolution is: to be nice to myself. So here’s a perfect list to get me started.
I wish it was original. No. Are you kidding? I’m used to whipping myself with a rosary. This delicious list comes from Beliefnet’s Holistic editor, Valerie Reiss. But she says that the act of composing the list is almost as important as doing a few things from it. Compile your own list or try a few activities from hers:
Some good things to do:
bathe in fragrant water
drink water
stretch the upper back
call someone
get off the computer
turn off the TV
go for a walk
list 3 things you love about yourself
list 3 things you love about the world
draw
write three pages in a journal
make something easy
bake
make soup
take 10 slow even breaths
meditate for 10 minutes
make a list of 3 things you’re looking forward to
make a list of 3 reasons you’re needed here
give something to someone
call a sick/pregnant/overwhelmed friend and offer help
clean something
do a dish
set the timer and do dishes for 5 minutes
make and drink a cup of tea
water the plants
pray
read anne lammott
read rumi
make a collage
tidy up a little corner of a room

DON’T:
watch TV
just lie there
surf endlessly
shop
spend too long perfecting something
entertain the “how would i do it?” thoughts
indulge the “i am a failure” thoughts
think about the future too much
or the past
be hatin’