Pampering Yourself
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Practical Pampering
29 ways to treat yourself right in the New Year.
Taking care of yourself doesn't need to be a costly or extravagant affair. A friend of mine says it's all in the lighting; anything can be pampering as long as you light a candle while doing it. For example, take a bath and light a candle. Make dinner and light a candle. Balance the checkbook and light a candle. (Well, maybe that last one is taking it a bit too far, but you get the idea!)
Lighting issues aside, pampering can be as simple as getting creative with what you have and giving yourself permission to do something special for yourself. Try some of these simple, inexpensive pampering pointers when you need a break from the race that is your life. And don't forget to light a candle!
1. Get a manicure at a local beauty school.
2. Give your walls a new look by checking out artwork from your local library.
3. Take a 20-minute nap under your softest blanket.
4. Buy one great bra that fits perfectly.
5. Check out a used CD store and find some favorite music from your high-school days.
6. Find a small group of women to eat out with once a month.
7. If you're signing kids up for soccer/dance/swim/music lessons, sign yourself up for a class too.
8. Write a letter to an old friend.
9. Buy one fresh cut flower to display on your desk. Buy another one for a friend. Or a kind stranger.
10. Have a girlfriend highlight your hair.
11. Check out one of your favorite books from childhood. Reread it alone, then share it with a child.
12. Shop for a super-comfortable sweater in your favorite color.
13. Give yourself a foot massage, then paint your toenails hot pink—even though it's the middle of winter.
14. Go through your box of memories—if you don't have one, decorate a sturdy shoebox and start one. Fill it with cherished cards, letters, pictures, ticket stubs, dried flowers—anything small that conjures up a special memory.
15. Relish a pint of the most expensive ice cream in your supermarket's freezer. Eat it with a silver spoon if you have one.
16. Send away for travel brochures from a far-off destination you'd like to visit someday.
17. Savor a smoothie.
18. Head to your nearest consignment/second-hand shop and find a fantastic $5 treasure.
19. Read one of Francine Rivers's short novellas about women in the lineage of Christ.
20. Rent and watch a classic (black-and-white only) movie—just you, the couch, and a box of tissues.
21. Visit Bath & Body Works and sample everything.
22. Buy Puffs Plus.
23. Call your mother and ask her about the day you were born.
24. Write a letter to a grandparent, describing special memories you have of him or her.
25. Start a journal of blessings. Write down something for which you're thankful every day.
26. Throw away all your socks with holes in them.
27. Begin a private quest to find the best park for viewing sunsets in your town.
28. Dial directory assistance and ask for the toll-free phone number of a resort in St. Tropez. Call and speak to the reservation clerk for two minutes just to hear his accent.
29. Spend some time in prayer with the One who loves you best.
Kimberly Neessen lives with her family in Iowa.
January/February 2007, Vol. 29, No. 1, Page 58
So, how do you pamper yourself?
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