Joyful Enoughness

Self-acceptance and self-love are an expression of our innate loving nature, our essential goodness as human beings. Pause daily from all of the doing. Let out a long yummy sigh, making room for contentment.

Allow a heartfelt knowing that you are enough and that you have done enough for now. All your doings have brought you to where you stand, here and now in this place of enoughness.

Joy will bubble up and remind you that you are here now, designed to thrive! May you find joy in taking 5 to thrive ! There are 52 weekly practices to nurture you through the year.

Face Fear

Fear is a natural part of life. Without it, we would not have evolved as a species. Fear is a powerful motivator and instructive, as long as we become aware of what we are fearing, when we are fearing it, how fear feels in our body and how it is directly influencing our behavior. Fear can be stealthy. Sometimes it shows up as restlessness or even paradoxically as anger.

And so, witnessing how and when fear arises is a practice for thriving. Bringing to a conscious level what we fear about ourselves, others and interacting with one another, then asking ourselves if we know what we fear to be true? If it is true, we can avoid what may cause harm. If it is false, we can learn how to get fear to stand down in the body using any of the many breath practices in these Take 5 to Thrive posts.

If fear feels like it dominates your life despite these types of practices, consider seeking professional help to heal.

Furry Friend Love

No matter what kind of day you have, your furry friend is there to greet you at the end of it. Furry friends offer us love, company and comfort. Petting them is a two-way exchange. As humans, we thrive on touch.

So take 5 to be fully present with your furry friend(s). Soak up and savor their affection and regard them with tangible emotional appreciation in addition to edible rewards.

What Matters the Most?

Underneath all of our doings as human beings is the drive of what matters most to us. Whether or not are doings are aligned with what matters most to us is highly relevant to our sense of happiness. So take 5 to sit quietly with the question of what matters most to me right now in my life.

Then take 5 more to write down in one column all you are doing in your present existence that aligns with your answer and all you are doing that may oppose it. The more we align our thoughts, words and deeds with what matters the most to us, the greater our sense of purpose. Our mental health is supported by awareness, connection, insight and purpose. Taking 5 to become aware of how well we are connected to what matters most gives us insight into how to reshape our lives to best support our purpose.

Be of Service

The best way to findyourselfis tolose yourself in the service of others. • Mahatma Gandhi.

There are myriad ways to serve and how we choose to do so is highly personal. How we serve can be a gift of our time, talents, elbow grease, networking, mentoring, money or company.

Service not only helps those who are served but also one who serves. It generates a hormonal boost that feels good and motivates us to repeat the experience. You may already be serving others in ways you have not recognized or you may always have had the intuitive sense of being called. Take 5 to look , listen and feel into what is needed around you that you have the capacity to serve.

Design A Supportive Environment

Some say that consciousness is a state of continual co-creation of the body, mind and environment. Take 5 to assess the various environments you spend time in. Unclutter your space and keep it clean and well organized.

Freshen the area with air flow, light and, when possible, greenery.
Add something symbolic, sentimental or inspiring to frequently catch your eye.

Notice how this refreshes energy, focus and mood.

Get Soaked

Water is healing. We are largely composed of it and need to consume it daily to function optimally. Water is also symbolic. We are baptized in it. Some cultures wash the feet of those they revere or worship. Imagine being on a long walk. You are hot and thirsty. You come upon a clear stream and see there is a perfect place to immerse.

If you have ever had this experience, recall how wonderful it felt! We can recreate experiences in this way in our home bathtubs. We can also enjoy just where we are, as we are, taking a soak in our bathtub. While we may be in the habit of a hot bath, sometimes taking a body temp soak, heavy to Epsom salt, will give us a sense of being suspended here, now in this time and in this place.

Doodle

Whether or not you consider yourself to possess an ounce of artistic talent, get out some colored pencils and blank paper and dive in. Whatever has been occupying your attention either in wanted or unwanted ways, allow the expression of it to happen on the paper with the pencils. No rules other than no words, so be on the lookout for that aspect of you that wants to keep popping up to impose restrictions on your process. Symbolically exploring the arena can offer profound insight into how your psyche represents it. It is truly intriguing to see what is revealed!

Read Poetry

Whether you are a poetry buff or not, poetry can be a go to for expression of feelings we have been unable to identify.
Reading poetry can lead you to finding language or symbols that can gradually reveal our feelings in layers that eventually give form to formerly formless experience.

The internet offers a wonderful magic carpet ride to take for an overview of poetry through the ages. Give that magic carpet a woosh!

Journal

Take 5 to begin your journal. Journaling is fun for some, but not all, depending upon how you view what journaling is all about. The pages of your journal do not have boundaries, other than those you consciously or unconsciously set. Whatever captures your attention in the moment you open the page can be noted. Events do not have to be noteworthy by any external standard. It’s your journal, written for you and to you, its reader. When we free ourselves to write, or sketch you never know where the adventure may lead you.