MY GIFT TO YOU

  • Be gentle with yourself
  • Work no more than 10 hours a day
  • Have at least one and a half days a week free from your normal work routine
  • Plan one “away from it all” holiday each year
  • Allow at least 30 minutes for each meal
  • Eat slowly and chew well
  • Examine your eating habits and balance your diet
  • Cultivate the habit of listening to relaxing music
  • Practice relaxation or meditation twice (or ideally three) times per day for at least 15 minutes
  • Find a “hermit” spot. Use it daily and do not allow interruptions

  • Take at least 10 minutes daily for physical exercise, preferably in the open air
  • Have a regular massage or join a yoga class
  • Cultivate a creative, non-competitive hobby and spend time on it eg – gardening, painting, music etc
  • Actively pursue the habit of walking, talking and moving at a slower pace
  • Smile and respond cheerfully whenever meeting somebody

  • Remind yourself that you are an enabler and not a magician. You can only change how you relate to people, you cannot change them
  • Caring and being there is more important than doing. Admit that you feel helpless when you do
  • Give support to others and learn to accept it in return
  • If emotional and/or sexual relationships are upsetting, seek advice
  • If you are unhappy at work, take stock and look at the choices. eg retraining, new areas of work, job agencies etc
  • Avoid the tendency to dwell on the past. Concentrate on the present
  • Express your feelings openly without antagonism or hostility
  • Finish one task before moving on to another
  • Do not accept – or give yourself – unrealistic deadlines. It can be done tomorrow
  • Change your routine as often as you can
  • Say “thank you” to yourself whenever you have finished something that you feel satisfied with
  • Before you go to sleep remember three good things that have happened during the day
  • Use supervision or the buddy system regularly as a source of support, assurance and redirection
  • Avoid talking shop during breaks and when socialising with colleagues
  • Say “I choose” rather than I should, ought to or have to. Say “I won’t” rather than I can’t
  • Accept personal responsibility for your life
  • If you never say “no”, what is your “yes” worth?