We were all children once. Remember the time when you were happy for no reason as a child. It was because you loved yourself as you were, without inhibitions. Somewhere along the way, we learnt that we needed a reason to be happy. There stopped our ability to be happy without a reason.

Connecting with the child that you once were will help in connecting with the joy of living, the joy of being who you are.

You can try this exercise to connect with that child within you. Find a quiet spot and sit very comfortably. Take a few deep breaths. Think back to your childhood and find yourself a happy memory. You may have enjoyed sport, found that you were happiest when a parent or a loved one hugged you. Go back to that time and see that child that you were – happy; loved by yourself. Now, imagine the person that you are in this time reaching out to that child and playing with him/her. Give that child a big hug and look into those eyes. You will see the joy that you had in your heart. You will see the love that you had for yourself. When you are ready, say bye to that child and come back to your life as it is now, knowing that the child you once were always lives within you.

Reconnect with your inner child. Watch a movie, enjoy eating pop-corn, skip instead of walking, do something just to make you happy. Notice how this will change the way you look at yourself. It helps to release self-criticism, any judgement that you have for yourself. You will feel lighter and peaceful.

What does Self-Care mean to you?

Does it involve working out in a gym, going to a beauty salon, eating nutritious food etc.? We work out because we want to build our physical fitness. We visit salons or spas to allow our body to be pampered and to feel relaxed. We eat nutritiously to support our bodies. We do all this because we want to care for ourselves.

What about extending this self-care to your thoughts?

Lao Tzu said: ““Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habit. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”

It is important to be aware of our thoughts. What we think leads to what we experience. If we sow a good thought in our mind, we will receive good in return. The opposite is also true.

Try this whenever you have a little chatter going in in your mind that is negative. Replace the negative thought immediately with a positive thought like “I can do this” or “I am beautiful and capable” or a beautiful image of the ocean or hills. Your negative thought will no longer be fed any fuel and it will burn out. The positive thought however, will grow and become reality as you start feeding and watering it with more good thoughts and intention.

Gratitude is defined as “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness”. Gratitude is one of the most important qualities that we all have.

We can practice gratitude throughout the day in various ways. I like starting my day with this prayer that my Reiki teacher taught me. It goes like this…
Just for today, I will not be angry
Just for today, I will not worry
Just for today, I will be kind to all living things
Just for today, I will show gratitude for all my blessings
Just for today, I will do my work honestly

As we go through the day, we can say thank you to ourselves for being kind, patient and loving. We can say thank you to others who support us even in the smallest way possible. We can say thank you for all the materialistic comforts that we have. We can thank our families for their love and support. This list can go on…

A great way to end the day would be to write in a gratitude journal. I know that keeping a journal may not be the thing for all us. How about trying to reflect back on the day and say thank you mentally for at least three wonderful people/things/events that we have encountered?

Gratitude multiplies our joy, keeps us peaceful, helps us stay in tune with our lives to a much greater vibration. Why not give the “Attitude of Gratitude” a go?