Guest Post: 3 Ways to Love YOU by Marcia Richards

I'm thrilled to be a guest at Gary's place today! See you later, Gary! He's off to guest post at Sonia Medeiros' blog. So be sure to go visit him there when you're done here. He's talking about creativity today.

Valentine's Day is right around the corner. It's all about love, giving and receiving. We scurry around making sure our Moms, kids, and significant others have a special day so they know how much we love them.

Uh, oh...you forgot someone. "Who did I forget?" you ask, slightly offended by the inference that you hadn't thought of everything and everyone.

YOU...that's who you forgot. YOU. I know, making everyone else feel special makes you happy, too. And they do their part to make you smile. But what have you done for YOU lately?

1. Kick Your Own Butt  Have you been slacking in some pocket of life? Don't feel like exercising, don't feel like cleaning, don't feel like working? Maybe it's hormonal, or it's holiday letdown hanging on, or it's the gray cloudy days.

If you read my last ROW80 post, you now that I haven't felt like writing for about a week. Yes, I've written my blogs, but they were sometimes really tough to complete. I hadn't fulfilled my ROW80 goal of writing 2500 words week on my WIP.

Then my good friend, Diana Douglas, came to my blog and simply said, "It's a daily job". Well, kick my butt! Of course, I knew this but had conveniently "forgotten". That simple comment from Diana got me back on track. I'm doing it for ME. I want to feel good about my writing, so I'm getting back to it.

2. Check Your List  When was the last time you looked at your life list? Do you even have a life list? If not, take a moment to think about a few things you'd like to accomplish in the next few months. Small or large, it doesn't matter, just jot them down. If you need an example of a life list, click HERE.

Now, look at the list. Find something on that list you can do for yourself today. Eat an extra piece of fruit, stash a few dollars in your savings jar, put down that piece of cake, write 250 words on your story, take inventory of your clothes closet to see what needs to be repaired or replaced, go buy the paint for the room you've been meaning to get to. Choose to do something that will give you the feeling of moving forward.

3. Reward yourself  I saved the best for last! So, you've been getting things checked off your life list or your to-do list? You are exercising regularly? You wrote 20 pages on your manuscript? You've saved enough cash to pay of a bill? You've just been an extra loving and supportive friend/spouse/parent/child?

Do something nice for yourself - go out to dinner, get a new haircut, get a facial/massage/manicure, buy those new shoes you've drooled over, go dancing with your main squeeze, luxuriate in the tub with a book and a glass of wine.

With the heavy schedule most of us keep and with all that we do for others, it's necessary for our mental and emotional health to give ourselves a break. Otherwise, our immune system is overloaded and we get sick. Gary offers up some other ideas to take a break and feel good HERE.

Valentine's Day has always been a day for loving others. Institute a day every month for loving YOU.

What do you do regularly to show a little love for yourself? Do you do it often enough? Please share your ideas for ways to make ourselves feel good.

Marcia Richards is a veteran blogger and author of Marcia Richards’ Blog…Sexy. Smart. From The Heart. Marcia writes about SSS (strong, smart, sexy) Women, Health and the path to realizing your dreams. She has a Historical Trilogy and a collection of short stories in progress. When she’s not writing, she can be found playing with the grandkids or her husband, seeing the sights of her home state or turning old furniture into works of art. She believes there is always something new to learn and always time to play.

Visit Marcia at: Marcia-Richards.com. Hang out with Marcia at: twitter/@MarciaARichards or facebook.com/MarciaARichards. 

Guest Post: Marcia Richards

It's close enough to the time when we can start saying Happy Holidays! and wishing folks a Merry Christmas! Thank you for visiting. Today is Life List Club Friday and I am delighted to have fellow LLC member, Marcia Richards as my guest. In my post for today, I share some thoughts I had after I did an Internet search on "reasons not to self-publish." Thanks to Jenny Hansen for hosting the article on her blog.

You may not have finished your holiday shopping, but Marcia has a few tips for you to consider after the holiday cheer has subsided and the new year has begun. 

10 Tricks to Ward Off the Post-Holiday Blues

Only 9 more days until Christmas and New Year's Day is another 7 days. Your house looks amazing! It's clean, bright and expertly decorated! You've been scrambling to buy everyone's gifts without going over budget; wrapping presents; baking cookies; planning the meal; getting party clothes ready; making reservations for New Year's Eve; hiring a babysitter and maybe helping family with travel arrangements.

It's your busiest time of year. It's when you accomplish the most and you love almost every minute of it - the fun, the friends and family, the food - and then, 16 days from now... IT'S OVER.

Suddenly, you're not so busy. What will you do to fill your time? The kids are going back to school, you'll be back at work and able to focus, the tree is out by the curb, and you have all those decorations to put away. Bleh!

Part of you is glad to 'get back to normal'. But, maybe a bigger part of you is feeling the letdown. It's much like grief. You're experiencing loss. The blues have set in because you're left with gray skies, cold, messy snow, an empty house and nothing to anticipate. The days seem dreary and darkness comes early.

Wait just a minute! We can turn this around!

10 Tricks to Ward Off the Post-Holiday Blues

You can start working on some of these tricks right now! The rest will keep you going long after January 1st! Yay! Calmer activites to keep that spark flickering!

Right now you can:

1). Freshen up your house – Make a note to refer to after January 1st take a close look - does your kitchen need a coat of paint? Maybe new curtains for the living room or new pillows for the couch? Rearrange wall art or buy new kitchen towels. Whichever you choose, you will have a fresh look in your home and a fresher outlook on your day. 

2) Plan a vacation - Start thinking now where you might like to travel. Go online to a state's website and order a free tourism catalog. I have a whole shelf of these on most every state. Rent travel DVDs to help you decide on a destination or just for armchair traveling to exotic places when it's -10 degrees outside your door.

3) Scrapbook the memories - Instead of uploading your digital pictures to your computer, print them out. Create a memory book for all those fun moments you enjoyed through the holidays. Scrapbooking is still a popular hobby and with just a few pretty papers, you can create show-stopping pages that will enhance your best photos. Depending on how many pictures you shot, this activity can keep you busy for months and the kids can help, too.

4) Exercise for endorphins - Right now you can begin an at home or gym exercise program. You'll boost your mood and, the big bonus will be burning off the extra calories that sneaked onto your plate. Your energy level will get back to normal and you’ll kick butt on the leftover stress. Walk on a treadmill and use light weights, if you haven't worked out for several weeks, to work back into a routine. Just do 15 minutes a day or 10 minutes twice a day if you’re in a real time crunch.

5) Dream up a new tradition - We have our traditions in place for holidays, but what about post-holiday traditions? Begin talking with your family or friends to get ideas for January and beyond. It could be a weekly outing at an ice skating rink; attending a play at a local theater; entering your favorite cold weather recipe in the Winter Festival's contest.

After the New Year Has Begun:

6) Don't miss the post-holiday sales - Grab your stash of Christmas gift cards or the homely sweater your sister gave you and head to the nearest mall or specialty shops for some retail therapy. Buy next year's Christmas cards and add to your cache of decorations. Pick up stocking stuffers while you're there. Maybe you'll even find some sexy shoes  or filmy lingerie on sale that would spark thoughts of a special way to celebrate a savvy shopping spree. 

7) Find your comfort zone again - Take time to relax. Indulge in a few do-nothing days. Reconnect with your main squeeze, your kids or your best friend. Plan a girl's only lunch or spa day. Lounge in the bath with your scented oils and a romance novel. Get back to you!

8) Make new goals - Roll into the new year any goals not completed in December. Make new ones and detail the baby steps to reach them. Include some for fun like learning a new language, taking dance lessons or spending more time writing in your journal. To learn how to set reasonable goals and reach them, click here.

9) Carry on the spirit of the holidays - Volunteer at Meals on Wheels or the Red Cross, cook a meal for an elderly neighbor or spend time talking and listening to the senior's stories. Tutor a child, send a care package to a soldier, donate old clothing to Goodwill or food to the Foodbank. If you have children, help them learn to love the act of community service.

10) Find a new creative outlet - Try painting, learning to play an instrument or writing a book.  Knitting, quilting, singing with a group, or gourmet cooking. All creative work requires focus and creates a calming effect on your psyche.

Even though January usually means cold, gray weather, filing tax returns and paying off credit card debt, choose to carry on with warmth in your heart and a smile in your eyes in spite of it all!

Which will you try? Do you have other ideas to share?

Marcia Richards is the author of Marcia Richards’ Blog…Sexy. Smart. From The Heart. Marcia writes about women, history, and the path to realizing your dreams. She has a Historical Trilogy and a collection of Short Stories in progress. When she’s not writing, she can be found playing with the grandkids or her husband, traveling or turning old furniture into works of art. She believes there is always something new to learn.

Come hang out with Marcia at: twitter or facebook.   VisitMarcia at her blog.