Fill Your Soul with Simple Pleasures

My friends tell me that I am a positive person, with an optimistic outlook.  Certainly, if you follow me on Twitter, you’ll get a sense of the kind of playful happy person I am, through the quotes and observations I share.  For example:

“Let your light shine to the world!” http://twitpic.com/gceyo

Fill Your Soul With Simple Pleasures

Fill Your Soul With Simple Pleasures (image from Photos8.com on Flickr)

People ask me how I tap into my energy, and what I do to feel better when life is handing me a few additional lemons.  My simple response is to  fill your soul with simple pleasures.  Here are a few of my favorite tricks:

1.  Get moving!  Go outside for a walk, stretch your body gently, do some gardening or simply play your favorite music … and dance, if you dare!

2.  Visualize yourself as a strong and healthy person.  For me, I remember times when I felt spiritually and physically whole.  I tap into those feelings and see myself in the same place.  Believe me, the brain doesn’t know the difference!

3.  Drink water slowly.  Notice how it feels in your mouth, and as you swallow the pure, clear liquid.  Truly, water is life.

4.  Write down encouraging phrases or quotes and post them on your wall as reminders.  I do this all the time.  Perhaps that’s why you’ll read so many of my “post-its” on Twitter!

5.  Read a self-help book.  One of my favorite authors is Eckhart Tolle.  Check out “Oneness with All Life” and “A New Earth.”

Meditate to fill your soul (image from HaPe_Gera on Flickr)

Meditate to fill your soul (image from HaPe_Gera on Flickr)

6.  Engage your creative side – draw, knit, paint, whatever you enjoy!

7.  Engage your brain by playing a card game – my favorite is Patience (also known as Solitaire).

8.  Build a fire and simply watch the flames flicker and dance.  There is not much that’s more relaxing than that!

Soothe your soul watching a fire burn in the fireplace (image from BinaryApe on Flickr)

Soothe your soul watching a fire burn in the fireplace (image from BinaryApe on Flickr)

9.  Find something funny that will make you laugh.  Laughter, like exercise, releases feel-good endorphins.  I have to admit that one of my favorite shows is The Muppet Movie.  I cannot help but to crack up when I watch this!

10.  Play with your cat or dog.  Animals are the epitome of non-judgmental love.  You truly cannot do wrong in their eyes. If you don’t have a pet, then enjoy some wonderful photos of the creatures!

11.  Take a relaxing bath or ask a friend or partner for a massage.  The healing power of touch is well-documented, and consistent with the laying-on of hands by religious institutions.  When you do so, clear your mind of your troubles and focus on the feeling of the water, or hands on your body.  Breathe deeply in a meditative state.

There are many ways that you can fill your soul with simple pleasures.  I’ve shared some of my personal favorites, and I hope you do too in the comment section below.  Here’s my final piece of advice:  Get to the core of the emotion, pay attention to your thoughts; use the logic of love and resolve for a new, better loving choice.

Feel better and be strong!

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out Take a Musical Journey and New Age: Living With Integrity, Improve your health with meditation, The sound of Silence, Ambient music therapy, Treat your body like a temple.

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