How are you meeting your needs for community, rest, play, fun and joy? There are certain needs we meet more often than others, and in this exercise we focus on needs that may relate to the summer months for you.

Reading over a needs list [download one here], which have been met for you in the last week and which unmet? Now focus on a clear, positive and doable request you could make of yourself or someone else to meet a need.

For example, if your need is for play, a request to yourself could be: “I’ll fingerpaint — and foot-paint! — with my daughter on Saturday afternoon for an hour.” Someone who was wanting rest created a little “beach” experience for himself at home by placing his feet in a tray with sand and sitting in a beach chair! This may sound funny –but it actually worked! He felt more relaxed after resting there. What creative strategies can you create to meet your needs? Read on for a tool to help you strategize!

We’re now sharing an exercise to walk you through creating these strategies more formally, based on Sura Hart’s work [see her books here].

“ONE THING” EXERCISE

1. Think of one thing you can do to meet your need for fun; how about one thing you can do alone? For free?

2. What’s one thing you have done today to meet your need for fun?

3. What’s one thing you did to meet that need when you were younger?

4. What’s one thing you’d like to do during a vacation?

5. What’s one thing you’d like to do at home for fun?

With all these ideas brainstormed, now write down three-to-five strategies you’ll take on today, this week, and this month to take care of these needs!

(originally posted by Dian August 2012)