11 Refreshing Ways to Find Your Own Sanctuary

Find your own Sanctuary for relaxation and refreshment

Photo Courtesy of Tostie14

This is Part II of an ongoing series – Find your own sanctuary.

Find your own Sanctuary Part 1 – With Nature focussed on spending time in nature, absorbing the beauty, the stillness, the calmness, the sounds at different times of the day to relax and rejuvenate.

Find your own sanctuary II is all about getting refreshed and re-energized in totally unexpected ways. Unexpected because we have not really seen them as a possible refreshment option. Unexpected because inspite of knowing that they work, we sometimes forget about them and lose out on some simple refreshment options.

11 Refreshing Ways to Find Your Own Sanctuary

1. Have fun with water.
Splash water on your face, take a bath or shower to relieve tension, go for a swim, play with kids in water.

2. Use laughter therapy
Laugh and smile. Read comic books, watch your favourite comedy re-runs, share a joke, tickle your spouse.

3. Bring out the chef in you
Use food therapy. Not by eating – but by cooking. Treat your spouse with a day off. Use variety of vegetables, add a dash of spices, savour the flavour. Be creative. Create a recipe of your own.

4. Bring out those dusty photo albums
Get those photo albums, videos and letters. Go through them. Share your stories, pass comments and have a blast with your family along the way.

5. Meet the kid in you
Each of us is a kid at heart. Be that kid. Go to garden and swing, pick up your favourite sports and play to your hearts fill, forget about everything other than playing and having fun. Laugh, giggle and be silly.

6. Exercise
Put on your running shoes and go for a sprint, go to gym and work out for a while, take a yoga class, aerobic class – use your body in some form and exert it a bit. Give mind some rest.

7. Catch up with song, dance and movies
Listen to music, humm a song, dance to your favourite numbers. Catch up with your favourite movies and quote all dialogues as you know them by heart.

8. Be a friend
Call up good old friends and catch up with them, chat with your neighbours and be friend them, meet up with friends and spend time together.

9. Spend time with family
Take your spouse on a date, have a long walk and long long conversations. Take kids to parks and play with them. Spend time at home with family.

10. Take a break from technology
Unplug your phone, have a laptop/internet free day. Spend some time with yourself. Spoil yourself, treat yourself, pamper yourself.

11. Do something you really enjoy
What are your hobbies? What do you enjoy doing the most? Go to sleep, read a book, play a game, go golfing, sking, dancing, cooking, trekking … do whatever you enjoy the most. Re-connect with your hobbies. Do something you really enjoy.

Stay tuned for Find your own sanctuary III – Within

Previous Post
« Common Mistakes Made While Forming A Sleep Pattern

Next Post
A Conversation Between Two Tibetan Monks »

Sanket Shah | June 26th, 2008 at 12:33 pm

I quite agree to your 10th point “Take a break from technology”

Once my TV had gone for repairs for a week or so. We (read family) had suddenly found so much time to interact among us, be together & bond too. All of us were infact enjoying this time more than the time we spent with TV programmes & movies. It showed us our over dependence & over valuation of TV as a source of refreshment.

I have found meditation to be the best sanctuary for me which I felt was missing from the above list.

Reply to this comment

Avani-Mehta | June 26th, 2008 at 12:38 pm

I agree. Meditation is the best sanctuary for me as well. I have planned to cover it in the third part of this series – going within.

Barbara Swafford | June 27th, 2008 at 4:05 am

Gosh, Avani,

These are all such great ideas. I love when we wash vehicles. We spray each other with the hose, and laugh and giggle.

Photo albums take me down memory lane, and oh what fun that is to do with a loved one. Ahhh…the pictures are worth a thousand words.

Being a friend is so important, as is spending quality time with family. We did that earlier this evening and it was a joyous time. It took me away from technology, and now I’m back, doing something else I enjoy.

Good post!

Barbara Swaffords last blog post..FEFF – How To Get More Hits On Old Posts

Avani-Mehta | June 27th, 2008 at 9:09 am

Playing with water while washing vehicles Sounds like good fun.

Nivas | July 13th, 2008 at 1:39 am

Avani,
Playing with water???
sounds interesting…..

yeah…i love to play in rain for hours together…
then take a cool choloate icecream..(yeah..i know..it sounds crazy…)
but that feeling is so good…that too when you sit near the camp fire with friends together…wow….amazing feeling

Nivass last blog post..Top 8 Obstacles to Your Success in Life

Sara at On Simplicity | July 13th, 2008 at 2:21 pm

I love that you’ve included active, fun stuff in your list along with relaxing, meditative items. And the picture is priceless–I’m dying for the day when I can have my own personal bouncy house.

“Meet the kid in you” really jumped out at me. I’ve had some of my favorite adult memories on kids’ playgrounds. It’s a place where you let go of trying to be cool, important, sexy, etc–and the result is absolute joy. Loved this post!

Sara at On Simplicitys last blog post..Three Things You’ve Given Up and Never Regretted

Avani-Mehta | July 13th, 2008 at 3:07 pm

Hi Nivas,
Having a icecream after getting drenched in rain is one of my favourites too. Especially when it’s cold outside

Hi Sara,
I am in love with that picture. It’s so alive. And I agree, letting go of everything and being in moment, having fun makes my day too.

Avani-Mehtas last blog post..Is Your Cup Empty? – A Zen Koan

Senaka | July 14th, 2008 at 7:12 am

yes, making an interesting part of someone’s daily routine a kind of hobby you do with likeness then it becomes a meditative experience. I have experienced this when I started cooking. Now I enjoy cooking, eat better and cheaper food and eat what I like.

Also, a hobby which really , interest u.
My experience on this is playing the guitar and listening to music.
I have been crazy about music ever since the death of my mother, when i was about 22. When, I play the Guitar, its like a meditative experience,
because if do not focus on playing and listening, I cannot play well.
So, I am totally engaged in it.
So, focusing on one thing, is kind of “samatha” meditation.

Avani-Mehta | July 14th, 2008 at 1:05 pm

Hi Senaka,

So true. Being completely focussed and lost in one activity is meditation by itself.

Jen | August 4th, 2009 at 12:33 pm

hello Avani
I want to learn ways to laugh more, bring out my inner child!
I find it comes out best when I am around people with a strong yellow aura! My husband has more of this in him than I and so he is one of the ones who can really help me ‘lighten up’ sometimes!
Anyway, I liked this number best!
2. Use laughter therapy
Laugh and smile. Read comic books, watch your favourite comedy re-runs, share a joke, tickle your spouse.
Namaste blessings,
Jen/Sharmila
Jen´s last blog ..Progressive Healing; Marshmallow & Sacred Spaces…

Finding Sanctuary in Yourself | On Simplicity says:

March 2, 2009 at 4:01 am

[...] Csikszentmihaly first outlined the idea of flow: the state in which we lose track of time while remaining fully engaged in and excel at an activity. The activity must be interesting and hold some degree of challenge. A flow state may be one of the most useful ways to take sanctuary. Consider the hobbies and activities you’ve enjoyed in the past. What are the things you stayed up way too late working on? When did you lose track of time? These are things you can call upon when you need to find a level of inner quiet. For some, the rhythmic and artistic nature of crafts such as needlepoint and beading create flow states. For others, coding and cooking work. Find the activities that have the potential to put you into a flow state for peace of mind amid chaos for and turn to them when you need sanctuary. [...]