The essence of self-care, is to take daily care of yourself in a regular and consistent manner. It's about doing the stuff that our parents or guardians did their best to teach us when we were much younger. Good self-care allows you to put yourself at the top of your day, makes your more ready to face your day, your plans and life's unexpected moments.

SHOWER YOURSELF: Don't take everything so seriously. Give yourself appropriate gifts. Get a massage or plan a day at the spa. Hug yourself. Exercise. Take a nap. Go to the beach and watch the water. Build a sandcastle or two. Act like a child. Play like a child. Think like a child. Wear your head high.

SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR PAST SELF: If you have a regular spiritual discipline and friends who follow the same path, then celebrate and practice it. Celebrate the new person you are becoming as you continue to make positive changes today. Stay in touch with your discipline and your group, let them hold you up as you continue to walk through the difficult days out into the sunshine again. Practicing your spiiritual discipline regularly will energize you and place your self-care plans in perspective.

NAME YOURSELF: You are valuable and vital to your world. People love and respect you in many different circles, because you are a well-rounded person. Look up the origin of your name. Study your geneaology if that interests you. Your parents gave you your name for a good reason. Find out the history of your name. Were you named for a relative or friend or a famous person? What an intriguing way to celebrate yourself and your history.

HONOR YOURSELF: Cultivate confidence in your personality,your skills (all of them) and your abilities. Take time to write about the positive contributions you've made to your local, national and international community. Highlight your daily successes in your journal entries. Your self-esteem can always use building up, especially during busy or stressful times.

SHARE YOURSELF: Don't be afraid to stretch your comfort zone just a little bit. Take a new class. Go to a concert. Join a book club. Chat with a like-minded person in your local coffee shop. You may just find a new friend or at least an acquaintance along the way.

Above all, don't underestimate how important you are! May your self-care skills grow and expand daily!

Copyright 2005 Writer's Eye Advisory Service

Lael Johnson

Contact Information: Ms. Lael Johnson P.O. Box 2405 Culver City, CA 90231 Journallady2001@yahoo.com 310-649-5543

Lael Johnson is the owner of Writer's Eye Advisory Service. She has a varied background in history, marketing management, psychology, community service and facilities management. She is also a trained creativity coach, writer and beader. She owns Creations Beadwork, selling handcrafted jewelry at craft shows and other community events. She is a published author whose writing interests include: haiku and related forms, devotional and inspirational material, short stories, essays, children's stories, volunteering, journaling and lyrics. She's published in inspirational material in the Vineyard Voice, Single Spirit and Children's Bible Search. She is also a published poet in Makar, Frogpond and Woodnotes. She edited copy for the Vineyard Voice, edited the weekly church prayer bulletin for four years, and edited and published the National Journal Network newsletter for six years. She's completed one basic course in children's writing from the Institute of Children's Literature.

She is currently completing several email and teleclasses in creativity coaching and small business topics. She is a member of Cassell Network of Writers, International Women Writer's Guild, and California Lawyers for the Arts (artist member only), respectively. She also participates in several other niche writing organizations. Currently she welcomes creativity coaching clients, using journaling and other resources, to help artists, small business owners and people eager to expand their creativity skills. She's authored several articles on creativity coaching and other relevant topics. She can be reached by email.

She is a member of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship Westside. She currently resides in Culver City, CA. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing and listening to classical, Celtic and international folk music and taking care of her two companion parakeets.