Beautiful!! :lips:

Two of my favorite things-

Sitting in front of a fire in my little fire pit

Wandering in the country taking pictures of neat plants, animals and falling down structures

I nuture myself by takeing time for me,I finaly realised it was ok for me to do that.
I got involved in shooting pool so now am on two teams with nice ppl.
Im eating right and working out 3 times a week
I also make shure I get enought rest.
Also im takeing myself less seriously,laughing more.

I love your responses, and find your posts comforting to me on some tough days. Thank you.

For me right now, my biggest effort at self nurturing is learning to accept ALL of me without blame, guilt or judgment.

By accepting, I don't mean that I allow myself to continue in unhealthy behaviors, rather I aim to acknowledge that they exist...that they are. Then I can look at them with open eyes and decide if it is something I choose to act on or if I feel better making a different choice. I do this with feelings and thought as well during meditation, allowing all feelings to be whether positive or negative, then allowing them to pass. It's working for me and helps me to find peace.

Happy Hump Day!

One of the areas I am dealing with now is self nurturing while single. As a single person I need to remind myself to go and do things. As a transman it can be difficult to find much in the way of a social life when single. So I decided that I need to find some things I can do alone if necessary, that require me to leave the safety of my house...yup you guessed it, that leaves masturbation out...at least for me. Lol!

I began by signing my dog up for some obedience classes, even though he did not need the classes as he has been trained well, we both needed the socialization. So we go every Saturday for an hour and it is a blast for us both. After this class he will begin his agility training.

Next I started taking him to the park. This gives us both physical exercise, more bonding time, people watching (mostly squirrel watching for him) and inner peace.

Today I signed up for weekly Tai Chi classes. Ah! Something I have to do all on my own without the Bear there for comfort. Now all I need is someone to remind me to go on Tuesdays! :)

Peace

Stress reduction techniques are nurturing for me. Can include music and dance, relaxation exercises and meditation, self hypnosis. Plain exercise that I can do.... making sure I take a good walk each day with my pooch and simply taking in the beauty around me. Honoring my spiritual needs has always been a key factor for self-nurturance for me in ways that fit me, not any organization or particular religion.

Most important is when I recognize what is causing imbalance, taking control and doing something about these things.

nuture
 

I love to read. My favorite thing is to curl up on a Friday night and read a good book on the sofa. Maybe nod off and sleep all night right there. Treating myself to nice meals. Getting my hair and nails done, always makes me feel prettier.

:sunglass:I know you did not just call me a dum bum! :blink: :blink:

:sunglass:

:rofl:

Moving to a yard with a house on it...

I have fruit trees and rose bushes and chinees pumpkins and russian sage and lot of things that I don't know what they are but will let me get my hands dirty and lots of space to walk and swing and dream...

Oh.. the yard has a house that has a basement that has two perfect spaces for dedicated art spaces and one more random art space and a separate room for storage so I don't get clay or paint on anything...

i try to remember that it's just life. it's for living.

i have more adventures ahead and stories to live to be told.

i have so many loving people in my life. i forget to leave my little cave. they remind me.

i know that trepidation is ok. it jacks me up and propels me forward.

i realize (again) i can live an extraordinary life.

1. Do you nurture yourself? If so, what are the ways you do so?

Not very well. It is one way I need to change in the new year. Right now, I'm cold and uncomfortable and I'm listening to old Al Green music, enjoying my dinner of a chicken breast and veggies. That to me is nurturing, but I don't do it very often. I still have that niggling feeling that I should be doing something.

2. Do you rely on your partner/family/friends to nurture you?

No, in fact the opposite. I don't tell people when I'm feeling poorly or ask them for anything. I'm very uncomfortable with "personal attention" in that way-including intimate times. I'm a giver, never a taker.

3. Do you feel that you adequately learned how to nurture your self when you were growing up?

Oh, no, lol. My parents were the "fix your own problems and don't bother others" type. I never saw either of them cry or seem needy. My mother did enjoy playing golf, so maybe that was her nurturing.

4. Do you feel any sort of discomfort about nurturing yourself?

Definitely, as I explained in #2. I always feel I'm "wasting" time when I should be more productive-especially if the entire day has gone that way.

5. Do you think that this whole self nurturing thing is just new age stuff and not even something worth talking about?

I find myself thinking that, and then realize that nurturing brings me peace and feelings of being loved, when I do it. So it's not hogwash at all. I need to convince myself that it's crucial for me, though.

today...and soon
 

[COLOR="DarkRed"]today i nurtured myself by not pushing myself. i did what was necessary, and no more. i allowed myself to take a nap in a warm bed...by myself.
soon, i will be living in a place that is as stress-free as possible. where i can concentrate upon taking care of myself and no-one else. where i can get back on the road to my meditative path. where i can practice tai-chi (great move, Jesse!) and qi qong without interruption. where i can eat wholesome foods as unprocesses as possible. where i can learn to laugh and be warm again. where being me is a good and interesting process.
thank Creen Tara for answering prayers! thank Chenrezig for being compassionate towards me! [thank the Medicine Buddha for the first steps towards being whole again!
thank a good friend for caring[ /COLOR]
pres :moonstars:

I had a really rough afternoon, so I gave the dog and I a spa treatment, trimmed nails, shaved our legs and I dyed my hair. I can't make the world spin kinder, but I have learned to be kinder to me.

Ironic this thread is up today.
 

I nurture myself by
 

Reading...nurtures my brain

Yoga...nurtures my body and emotional well-being

Hiking... nurtures my soul

1. Do you nurture yourself? If so, what are the ways you do so?

Oh, yes. In every way possible. I don't even know how to describe how I do it. It's just second-nature to me.

2. Do you rely on your partner/family/friends to nurture you?

I wouldn't even know how.

3. Do you feel that you adequately learned how to nurture your self when you were growing up?

I had no choice.

4. Do you feel any sort of discomfort about nurturing yourself?

None.

5. Do you think that this whole self nurturing thing is just new age stuff and not even something worth talking about?

I think it's absolutely essential to health and well-being. Wanting to be close to others and share experiences, stories, and lives makes sense but depending on others, unless the situation is emergent, is, in my opinion, a recipe for an unhappy and unfulfilled life.

Self-care and positive thought/energy

Self- care is more than a physical ritual, really. Yes I drink herbal teas and take care of my skin/body with healthy food but I also meditate, spend time outdoors, make fun whatever I do, I dream and follow my gypsy soul passion.

I spend time with friends, community and I try to experience and learn as much as I can about other cultures.

I choose to be happy.

What I do to care for myself is for the most part choose to be happy,another thing I do is keep negetive people out of my life as much as possable,I also allow myself to have things I want without guilt.I went through some therapy to beable to finaly release whatever was holding me back from injoying my life.I have always taken care of everyone but me,now I can relax then have some fun.

I try to take good care of me, most days. But I find that getting enough rest (sleep) and finding time or making time for quiet time -- reading a book I have put aside, or wandering outdoors for a walk by myself, or even pampering myself with a long bath and giving myself a pedicure and manicure or trimming up my hair just a skosh -- is something that aids my sense of "doing something good for me" kind of thing.

I also like it when home life is relatively quiet because my work day can often be quite hectic. So coming home to a quiet household is precious, to me.

I also, because it has always been like this for me, seek out others who are quiet like me, ensuring somehow that notion that centers itself on the quiet side of the spectrum.

But I also practice mindfulness, and I try to be mindful of myself and others in my life. It's not always easy to do, so when life seems to complicated or I feels stressed out by life itself, I just commit to make time for me. To make sure I feel like I am getting what I need, making sure I can meet my own perceived needs. That way, I am not wanting for much and it helps to know I can meet my own needs.

When I can't meet my own needs or wants, then I just have a long talk with myself and find a place in my mind where I feel things can be okay.

:bouquet:

Thanks for the forum topic to share, Jesse.

One with myself
 

Sometimes I will just shut it all out,sitting alone and by myself.I've been told when i do this i look spaced out..but believe me,that's when i'm at my most awake.It's just that i'm thinking really hard,coming up with my next plan,my next best idea..bare with me and try not to interrupt.

In other words...i'm drowning you out on purpose,but for a good reason...to listen to my own inner voice,my own thoughts.

Then,I come back..rejuvenated..of course,a hot cup of black coffee can give me a similar buzz.

Relax,the world will still be there,waiting for you...

every day I tell myself I am good, I am kind, I am important!

don't forget...I'm good enough, I'm smart enough...and gosh darn it! People like me :)

OMG it's Stuart Smalley!

I'm starting to do this a lot more now. Nurturing myself is something I've always done but I've been kind of neglecting myself this past year. So now I'm making more ME time.

one of the most difficult decisions I had to make about nurturing myself was to rehome my horse. It was taking too much out of me physically to warrant keeping her. I was depleting myself to keep my love of her around. I finally submitted to reality and rehomed her into a fantastic forever home. And I am feeling the physical benefit of it. I have so much more energy now. I can do more because I am not laboring myself to death.

additionally, I garden, and I garden differently now. I have raised beds. I hire someone to do the heavy weeding and mulching, tilling, etc. To be in my garden fills my soul. I cant wait for the roses to bloom this year!

Nurture
 

I like to be alone in nature.

Working on the ranch mowing, clearing brush, and gardening all feed my soul.

Being on the water boating or on the beach rejuvenate me.

Spending time with with my kitties or outside with wildlife calms me.

I am a nature guy.


:cowboy: