Pamper Yourself in 2003

Part 14 in a series by Karen A. Stevenson, President, Studio K Salon

New Years Resolutions are made with high hopes, goals, and accomplishments. My suggestion, if you haven’t already made the resolution, would be to pamper yourself a bit this year.

When was the last time you took a long hot bath with candles?  When was the last time you had your nails manicured by a professional?  What about a pedicure?  What about enjoying a massage, or a warm milk and honey body wrap? Purchasing fresh cut flowers from your local florist?  Something that allowed you to ‘love’ yourself, and treat yourself to a luxury?

We have all suffered through a very busy time of year.  Expectations, disappointments, obligations, hustle and bustle of  last minute shopping.  Property taxes due, knowledge that income taxes must be filed by April 15^th.  Children’s school plays, Husband’s Christmas Parties, long distance phone calls to relatives far away.  These are just a few things you have done over the past eight weeks that have created tremendous sacrifice in doing for yourself. 

Here are a few suggestions for your own benefit to think about achieving over the next few months.  How about re-organizing your wardrobe, throwing out the things you no longer wear, analyzing the outfits you have remaining, and seeing what you may wish to purchase in order to update and modify the outfits you wear?  How about a massage, a manicure and pedicure?  What about treating yourself to a new hairstyle?  Something as little as getting your eyebrows shaped and waxed are simple inexpensive nothings that will allow your life to feel more organized, slightly more put-together, and give a sprinkle of feeling better about yourself.

Allowing the luxury of caring for ‘you’ is important.  Life shouldn’t be as pressured as we can cause it to be.  I was once told by a very wise counselor,  that whatever happens in our life, we usually ALLOW.  What a powerful enlightenment that was for me.  Those words still haunt, as I analyze daily, is there something causing me disharmony, or lack of flowing in life?  What can we do to allow it to flow smoothly again?  Maybe it is something as extreme as hiring a house cleaner to take care of our home, maybe it is as simple as getting rid of the old clothes in our closet.  Maybe having pretty fingernails would improve our quality of life. 

Life is short.  Before we know it, we’re growing older, having forgotten to smell the roses along the way.  Enjoy the time you have to take in order to accomplish a peace within yourself.  Be certain you aren’t neglecting your needs, and niceties.  Below is a checklist of ideas.  See what things interest you:

Do something to encourage positive feelings.  Give yourself the gift of feeling good about the day.  Cause yourself to smile.  Don’t let the drudgery of life come and go day in and day out. 

Live a little.

Today is a new day.

This is a new year!