Rewarding Successes

It's been about 4 months. Life has been extremely busy, working two jobs and spending time with my beautiful daughter. One of the things I've neglected over the past few months has been my own self-care and rewards system. With the chaos and stress that is life, I know how imperative it is to take care of me. Along with some clients earlier this evening, I brainstormed ideas for rewarding oneself in a healthy manner. Some enjoy a new purchase or a delicious meal as a pat on the back, while others go for a spa treatment or take a day off. There are even those who fall into negative patterns for rewards such as potentially addictive behaviors and/or drug use, as it is often believed that this will provide an escape from reality or a high that cannot be reached without a foreign substance. Reality is this... we reward ourselves in a number of ways, and they may or may not be for our actual benefit. Whatever our choices, it is important to evaluate what we do FOR ourselves so that we don't burn out doing the things we must do to survive and maintain the lifestyle we have grown accustomed to. One method that I have recently rediscovered is my love for yoga. I've been practicing for about 5 years off and on, but only recently have I focused my priorities around my yoga practice at least twice per week. During practice two weeks ago I had an awakening. Life is again full of blessings and opportunities. Last night's practice took that new perspective to the next level. As my mind was completely clear, I recognized that there are patterns of rewards from my past that have caused me harm. I forever hope to never return there, but to continually develop and improve my self-care techniques and enjoy the pure and abundant joy of life.