Summer Bliss 101

It's not too late!

For once, put yourself first. Don't feel that you have to be all things to every person in your life. Instead of worrying about your kids, think relaxing thoughts. From experience, I have found that most of my worrying was never warranted anyway. Here are some blissful techniques you might want to bring into your life and then add more of your own.

* Pick up a new novel each week and then give yourself a little time each day to get lost in someone else's life. I have read so many novels this summer and have enjoyed every minute of it. (Put the kids down for a nap and you settle down for a nice afternoon all to yourself.)

* Plan your next holiday. Where have you always wanted to go? What will you need to get there? Plan every step. Actually, I find that all the planning is half the fun. And even better, by the time you get there, you will know all there is about the locale.

* Choose one weekend a year and plan a get-together with your mom, sisters or even a small group of girlfriends. It's a weekend of eating out, sleeping in and lots of girl chat. Think of it as a grown up slumber party.

* Set aside ten minutes a day to listen to music, close your eyes or meditate. Research shows that a mere ten minutes a day can relax you for the entire day, if done regularly.

*To put it all in a nut shell, I'm telling you to play more. For some reason, once our childhood is behind us, we believe that we aren't allowed to play. It's almost as if it is an unwritten rule and too many of us accept it. We all have responsibilities, but we also have a responsibility to ourselves... and that involves playing!