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Words of encouragement, a loving touch, laughter and play, creative pursuits, fun and games, these are all things we hunger for and need to give to ourselves in order to feel balanced in life. Unfortunately our society is so task driven that we often don't take time for these nurturing activities. We may be willing to nurture our children, our pets and our loved ones with time and attention, but how much do we offer ourselves?

It's almost as though the minute we stop our stream of activity and to-dos in order to relax, play or rejuvenate an alarm bell goes off with a silent warning: "the prisoner is about to escape". Suddenly, a list of 'shoulds' comes spewing into our minds releasing a fountain of guilt for daring to take time for ourselves.

Yet, when we can get past our internal taskmaster and take the time for self-nurturing, our minds and bodies finally relax. We find our center, our mind clears, our emotions calm, and our soul expands. Giving to ourselves is similar to being nurtured as a child; we feel safe, loving and joyful. We then have so much more to give back to others.

Explore these questions to see how you nurture yourself:

What feels nurturing to you? How often do you nurture yourself?

What gets in the way of you nurturing yourself more often? What would you have to say no' to in order to nurture yourself more? What would you have to say yes' to?

Imagine not taking part in any nurturing activities for a month? How would you feel and how would this affect other areas of your life? Now imagine giving yourself extra doses of nurturing activities for a month. How would feel and how would this affect other areas of your life?

Try these exercises as a way to nurture yourself more often:

Make a list of as many nurturing activities as you can think of. Notice which ones involve others and which ones you can do for yourself.

Choose at least three nurturing things that you can do on your own and three that involve others and plan to do them this month. If time is an issue, schedule them into your calendar.

Whenever you notice your inner taskmaster' trying to control you with shoulds, to-dos and guilt, stop for a moment, take a deep breath and tell your taskmaster to take a vacation. Then ask your true self what it is you really want to do, and honor that.

Learn more about this author, Gini Grey.
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