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How do you nurture yourself? When do you feel cared for?

We asked you these questions and received some beautiful, inspiring answers. We recommend that you don’t read these all at once. Instead, read one or two, and then consider what you learned that is usable in them for your needs. 

Thanks to all for sharing!

 

Morning writing. Walking in nature. Drawing flowers.
…. and I am perplexed that I resist doing them!!  ~Maura

I use my senses, for grounding, just seeing what I see, hearing what I hear, singing in a choir, I draw & paint, I do ATMs! I specialize in brief breaks, taking in what I sense. I teach a couple of classes a week, it is fascinating; e.g. in one group of young theater students, I see the changes they go through before my eyes, in just one hour they evolve. They have a remarkable focused attention for 60 minutes, I am amazed and grateful for this tool we have!

I feel so self-reliant, for example one morning I woke up with a lumbago, I just rolled down to the floor, did a couple of ATMs and then I was fine again. This is priceless, since I have quite a few injuries from an intense and varied professional dance career. Last October I returned to my dancer self, closed the circle, by giving an old solo of mine in my own choreography to a young dancer; she performed it beautifully in a church in Stockholm to a magic organ piece ” Trois Danses” by the French composer Jehan Alain.  Thank you, I feel grateful.       ~Pia

Communing with nature in silence.      ~France

My nurturing gift to myself is that I’ve been practicing contemplative prayer for several years- 20 minutes twice a day. I also attend two contemplative prayer groups – each an hour long – each week. Retirement makes this much easier to do. However, I meditated daily for years while working. It has changed my – our- lives.

The story is told of Mother St. Teresa being approached by one of her nuns saying that they couldn’t possibly have enough time to do all the work they needed to do. Mother Teresa’s response was that they would add another hour of prayer to their already-daily two hours of prayer.
It works!    ~Jan

Rise early…be in the woods with my dogs with a fresh cup of coffee. Occasionally I am there exactly at dawn when the birds wake up and sound like a symphony tuning their instruments before a big performance, and this fills me with bliss. But everyday this act fills me with gratitude.

A day off of wonder when I give myself the opportunity to wander. These are rare, but when I have them I often set the rule of no recycling. In other words, all things new and novel. New restaurant….new park….new trail…new area of town I’ve never explored…new ATM….new creative endeavor….you get the idea.   ~Libby

I do a modified EFT tapping exercise each morning which includes divine affirmations and read Unity’s daily word …all which comfort me filling me with gratitude and then expanding these love vibrations out in my community and beyond.   ~Susan

You and your teachings have helped me to nurture myself!   ~Brian

My DEVOTIONS. Listening to HYMNS while sitting in the rocker that was my mom’s with a cup of coffee.   ~Ruth

The beach is a BIG nurturing spot for me. On Sundays in winter I take my dogs for a walk on the beach followed by hot coffee. The energy of the ocean in winter is fresh and invigorating, and yes, cold.
In summer on Sundays, a bunch of us from New Jersey, who all retired to Delaware meet at the beach around 8:30 or so for a couple of hours. We talk, have breakfast, walk on the beach, and enjoy being together.

I am lucky to have a small porch that gets Sun all day. There are always herbs growing out there, and in summer it transforms to a lettuce farm. But the best part is just sitting out there, quietly, or reading, or drinking my morning coffee – with dogs of course. It is a place to recharge, sleep, think, or zone out.
Perhaps my best self nurture experience is doing an ATM lesson. That sense of well being afterwards is wonderful! And yet, I don’t always take the time to do them. I’ll have the time, yet won’t do it. By participating in Future Life Now I am working with that inclination, while enjoying learning and feeling good. For all the work you two do I appreciate your work and am very grateful.   ~Robin

Sitting in the hot tub while watching my breath
growing and eating sprouts.   ~Linsay

Taking a quiet moment by myself in my garden and just feeling into gratefulness of this moment my luck good fortune to have ‘this’.   ~Sharon

Daytime naps, delicious.
A day of Feldenkrais in London with the wonderful Sophie Arditti.
Spending time talking, really talking, with my cat.
Walking in nature taking the odd photo, noticing changes, patterns, and the beauty of spring.
Teaching yoga and being quiet surveying the students in savasana, knowing my own feeling of peace is a gift from them to me, just as the teaching is my gift to them
Being with my coach and in the light (trusting the shadow work).
Knowing that all that is, just is.
Being nurtured by you is also a gift I really appreciate.   ~Carolyn

My nurturing habits are my daily meditation and my daily 30 minute walk.
And choosing plenty of foods to have on hand for my low fat plant based eating plan.
Another nurturing habit is taking the time it takes to take care of diabetes: keeping detailed daily records, learning and using my cgm and insulin pump skillfiully. Forgiving myself when my blood sugar is unpredictable and wipes me out.
I take care of myself by spending time only where I am welcome.
I feel cared for when my friends check in with me, ask and truly want to hear, how I am doing.    ~Claudia

I think the problem is that in stress-situations we focus too much on certain things, tasks….
For me it is helpful to have certain “anchors” during the day: a morning meditation-routine and certain situations from everyday life using to feel myself: How do I move, stand and breathe cleaning my teeth or preparing the next meal?   ~Beate

Good sleep. Being out in nature and wonder about all the natural laws and doing Feldenkrais lessons.   ~Iris

Listening and being present, giving a hug, making broth or a cake! Good food.

Remembering to ask for help from God/universe, my husband, others, engaging with others. Listening to my energy rhythms and respecting what they tell me, pacing myself, getting to bed early. Walking in the sunshine and nature. Doing things that I feel are worthwhile and/or interesting to me.

When someone checks on how I am going and has the time to really listen and engage I feel cared for. And when someone does something for me that I need or enjoy, especially without asking.

Nourishing each other on all levels, touch/ holding, hugging I love this in bed at night with my husband, the sustained contact or with my daughters, with our work; via food; having quality time with friends/people, with myself; going to my Sound it Out singing group where the acceptance and inclusiveness and real ness is nurturing to all.   ~Mary

Nurturing is something very important but often undervalued, especially in giving it to ourselves. I believe that God is always there and giving unconditional love if we but stop and listen. He is the source of all love and care and our finite human love is a part of a greater whole. Having the faith to trust in this is the challenge, especially in winter seasons. However beauty and greater fruitfulness can come from these hard times, as you were talking of in your email. As someone of a Christian faith, this is reflected in the current Lent season of self-denial and reflection in preparation for the new life of Easter. The below verses express similar sentiments:

“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. (John 12:24)

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:25-27)   ~Sarah

Two male hands; one reaching down to assist another hand reaching up
Cynthia Allen
Cynthia Allen
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