Kansas City Freelance Writer Liz Craig

Most of us have work goals. But what about taking-care-of-me goals?

It’s easy to get caught up with working, looking for work, keeping up with email and phone calls, and just slogging forward from one day to the next. Have you sat back, taken a deep breath, and contemplated what you need to do to take care of yourself?

Taking care of yourself involves doing just a few simple things every day:

• Do something you enjoy

Maybe you feel guilty taking time to draw, paint, play the piano, take ballroom dance lessons, go bowling, call a friend just to chat, or take a drive to get out of the house. But don’t. These times out, when you’re not forging ahead but enjoying the moment, are rejuvenating and necessary.

• Keep your body in good shape

Many of us have active minds but inert bodies. That’s bad. Better to take a walk, march in place, and/or stretch from head to toe while watching TV than have to go to a chiropractor or ortho doctor. Your body needs good food, too, not fast food. Good food takes more time, whether it’s in a restaurant or in your kitchen. Don’t begrudge your body a little time for exercise and a good diet. I know, this sounds so trite. But if you’re like me, you know it know it know it but don’t do it do it do it!

• Get your inner world in order

Your mind is buzzing with work details. Call this person, return that email, look up this information, follow up with him, straighten that bookshelf, take out the trash tonight, clean the litter box… Yaaargh! Enough! Quell the mind chatter somehow.

- The Tao of Music

Go to Pandora.com and create your own radio station playing whatever kind of music lets you unplug and unwind. For me it’s Mel Torme, but for you, it might be Jewel or Coldplay. Heavy metal is out. Sorry. Just sit or lie down and listen for a few minutes. Check your muscles and see if you can relax them more and more.

- The Way of Meditation

Of course, the age-old way to calm the inner turmoil is to meditate. There’s nothing mystical or difficult about it (unless you try Zen meditation — believe me, it’s awful! If you’re trying to do it right, you’re not doing it right. And if you’re not doing it right, you’re not doing it right, either. Maddening.).

The simplest way to meditate is to sit comfortably in a chair, both feet on the floor, your hands on your thighs, and choose a word, any word. Even a nonsense word. I was given a mantra, “ki-ring,” which sounded kind of cool and Buddhisty. It was some time before I realized my mantra was “keyring.” My teacher had a sense of humor. No matter.

Anyway, hold the word softly in your mind (Don’t repeat it in your head or verbally.), and each time your mind wanders, simply notice that you’re straying and gently bring your attention back to the mantra. As my meditation teacher said, “Five minutes is good; ten minutes is very good; fifteen minutes is excellent.” You’re not trying to do it perfectly. You’re just practicing doing it.

SO –

Try having a little fun, doing a little exercise, enjoying a little good food, and doing a little meditation every day for 21 days, and you’ll develop a long-term habit that will do you good. (Me, too, if I can take my own advice!)