Practical Ways to Bring Enchantment into Your Life

THE ENCHANTED SELF® teaches you how to access positive states of well being again and again. These positive states are unique to you and often reflect your interests, talents, and potential. I thought it would be fun to finally share with you some activities useful in helping you get in touch with your Enchanted Self. I hope you enjoy them and will let me know how they worked out by writing to me at encself@aol.com.

1. Relax and let your mind drift backward in time. Give yourself permission to drift back through your memory to a younger age. Let your intuition be your guide in choosing an appropriate age. Once you have chosen an age, imagine yourself in a room in one of the homes of your childhood. Look at the furniture, the colors of the room. Can you smell anything, any aromas of food cooking, or any other odors? Can you hear any noises, perhaps people talking? Is the television on? What show might be on? Can you look out the window from where you're sitting? What do you see?

Jot down all the positive thoughts and feelings that you associate with this memory on a piece of paper. Then make a list of all the talents and positive capacities you had as a child. Thank about how you could link your positive traits from the past forward to your present life.

Don't get discouraged if you need to make changes in your present life. Changes can be positive, and there is always a way that you can successfully change, even if it is a little bit at a time.

2. Next, let's do an exercise geared to building your self-esteem, a necessary attribute to your Enchanted Self. Think about five positive statements that you can make about yourself. For example, you might say, "I am a most courteous and helpful person," or "I am always there for others, or "I can be trusted."

Later on today, write down your five positive remarks about yourself. Put this piece of paper in your wallet or in your pocketbook. Read it to yourself at least once a day, for a period of one week. After a week, give yourself a mental hug, or some other form of congratulations, to emphasize to yourself how great it is that you have these positive traits. We all need practice in confirming what is good about ourselves. Seeing yourself in a positive light is a critical step in living a life of Enchantment.

Some of our best pathways for enchantment come from the hopes and dreams that we had as children. Relax, and let your mind wander back to a time in your life when you were eager and excited about life. For example, perhaps you were a Brownie or a Cub Scout, and you imagined yourself becoming a Girl or Boy Scout some day, winning every Scout badge possible. Or maybe, because you like nature, you often imagined yourself climbing high in the trees. You may never have actually done these things, yet now you can still remember the good feelings that you had either actually doing, or thinking, about these things.

Rather than holding on to the disappointment or anger that may have come from unrealized dreams, think about three things that you can do as an adult that could result in your having some of these same positive feelings.

For example, perhaps a course in rock-climbing might help you get back in touch with the fearlessness you felt as a child when you imagined yourself climbing tall trees. Or perhaps it is now time for you to sharpen your skill at some sort of craft, and enter a competition. Or maybe its just time to order a gourmet-cooking magazine, and to have the pleasure of looking at someone else's recipes.

As adults, we don't always need to be a winner. It's enough just to enjoy a hobby or an interest. One of the gifts of Enchantment is that you can make a variety of decisions about yourself, sometime choosing to be highly competitive, while at other times you may choose to be a spectator.

Whether you relax by blowing bubbles, or by wishing on a star, fishing, or roller skating, the magical yet obtainable ingredients of Enchantment lie within each of us, waiting for you to practice them an to apply them, again and again. Give yourself permission to feel good again, by recognizing the true strengths and value you have as a unique human being. Welcome to your Enchanted Self!

About The Author

Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein , originator of THE ENCHANTED SELF®, a method of bringing delight and meaning into everyday living, invites you to view her new line of ENCHANTED WOMAN products, downloadable e-books, and free gifts at http://www.enchantedself.com. Chat with others in Dr. Holstein's e-group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/encself/join, and sign up for her free e-group at www.enchantedself.com. Order her book, THE ENCHANTED SELF: A Positive Therapy, or the CD-rom or tape version and her book RECIPES FOR ENCHANTMENT: The Secret Ingredient is YOU!, or the ED-rom version, at http://www.enchantedself.com/ordering.htm

---

No More Sleepless Nights (Insomnia)

Insomnia is usually the result of the modern way of... Read More

Stress - A Modern Cause of Disease

Every day we are faced with a situation where our... Read More

Taking Care of Yourself

Living in our world today can be very stressful. While... Read More

Reduce Your Stress

If you live in the early part of the twenty-first... Read More

Coping With Stress

When something happens in our lives, we automatically assess the... Read More

Nipping Stress In the Bud: The Principles of Stress Relief

Stress is normal. Stress is OK. Stress is the same... Read More

Stress Managment and Mastery: Too Much to Do Stress - Write it Down, Break it Down, Knock it Down

"I've got too much to do, I've just got too... Read More

Ease Your Stress ? Change Your Life!

Feeling stressed? Who isn't!! In today's society, feeling "stressed out,"... Read More

Getting Rid of Your Frustrations

Punch a pillowScream into a pillowTurn on your favorite music... Read More

Secrets to Aromatherapy II - Psychological Complaints

Aromatherapy is very therapeutic when it comes to healing emotional... Read More

5 Steps to Stress Relief

Take a moment to think about the week that just... Read More

How to Cope With Stress and Anxiety

Among the hardest parts of living in the modern world... Read More

Stress Buster Tip: Relax From The Weekday Stack!

Everyday can be full of stress but we all deserve... Read More

100 Ways to Reduce Stress

Don't let stress wear you down. Next time you are... Read More

Chewing On Mindfulness: Gum Is Your Secret

My grandmother, a feisty and athletic woman in her younger... Read More

Dealing With Stress in Our Overworked Lives

As small business owners, we often take on more than... Read More

Choose a Stressless Lifestyle!

A stressless lifestyle? That's very easy to say. Yet it... Read More

The Art of Worrying

I am worried. I have been biting my nails for... Read More

Ten Tips to Ward Off Stress at the Office

CHICAGO - According to a recent article in the September... Read More

Stress Management: How to Avoid the Ruts and Holes of Life

Have you ever noticed how we keep falling into the... Read More

Spontaneous Play

"We do not stop playing because we grow old. We... Read More

Top 10 Tips on Managing Conflict, Emotional Tension, and Anger

To be a safe and predictable person for those around... Read More

10 Ways to Monitor Corporate Stress Levels

10 Ways to Monitor Corporate Stress LevelsGood military leaders work... Read More

Managing Stress - Hire the Right People

Managing stress is not easy if you don't have the... Read More

Stress Managment and Mastery: Break the Rules!

Of all the sources of stress in our lives, faulty... Read More

7 Tips to Relieve Stress At Work

Do you feel stress at work? Do you carry your... Read More

Stress Management: Are You a Workaholic - Humorous View

As we celebrate yet another Labor Day, I thought it... Read More

Create Reserves for a Stress Free Life

One of the ways I have avoided a lot of... Read More

Minimizing Stress

Understanding StressStress has been called "the invisible disease". It is... Read More

The Benefits of Eating from a Jar of Honey

June is the month of the honey moon. Custom holds... Read More

Stress Managment: 5 Things to Clean Out of Your Mental Closet

ExcusesWe all have them. It amazes me how creative I... Read More

Stress Relief ? A Backyard Hot Tub Is Your Answer

We all know what it's like coming home from a... Read More

Stress: Daily Self-Care Habits to Manage Stress

Today we have more stress in our lives than ever... Read More