inner child, you will become prematurely old and bitter—and yes, more prone to heart problems and hypertension.
Your inner child likes to “play” in areas that interest you. So what interests you? Is it a particular sport or hobby? Create a block for your favorite activity in your weekly schedule, and you will find yourself naturally being propelled throughout the day and week, looking forward to the next “playtime”.
5. Pepper your life with vacations, big and small.
Sometimes, sleep, rest and play aren’t enough. You need to go off somewhere to retreat from familiar routine. (Like I’ve said before, you need to keep expanding your horizons every now and then.) You need a vacation.
You don’t need frequent, long vacations. You just need enough to avoid boredom with your everyday routine. And it doesn’t have to be a vacation in a far-off country. You can check in at a hotel out of town for an overnight stay, or just stay indoors for a book-reading vacation by yourself. If you have friends and family who’d like to go on a vacation too, you can split the cost among yourselves and go off to a really interesting spot, and bond together.
6. Listen to music. Or better still, make music.
Music calms the soul. It provides you a way to express feelings words can’t.
Don’t feel guilty or insecure about having a “corny” or weird music collection in your car, den, or iPod. It doesn’t
matter if you prefer listening to opera and Broadway tunes, or the music of Barry Manilow and Laurence Welk, or Kings of
Leon, or Lady Gaga. (You may even be the type to listen to all of them in one day.) Hey, it’s your music, expressing your personality and feelings.
At the same time, music is a quick and easy avenue to open- mindedness. Every now and then, as a learning experience, try listening to a music genre that’s outside your usual range of favorites. You might be surprised to find a piece of music or performance that seems to express a particular mood or memory that you never thought was possible to set to music! Remember, whole genres of music were invented by artists who sought to find ways of expressing their particular culture, experience and emotions. You could experience their mindset and share their feelings, just by listening to their music.
If you have been blessed with musical talents and can make your own music, commit yourself to making it, no matter how little. It’s an area of growth that will reward you with a way of expressing yourself that no other activity can.
7. Get regular medical checkups, and see a doctor immediately if you become sick in a way that’s suspicious or unfamiliar.
Despite all your efforts at keeping yourself healthy, you could still get sick. Get regular medical check-ups on your heart, blood sugar, cholesterol level, fat-to-muscle ratio,