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As you take a few moments for yourself right now, begin by inhaling deeply, relaxing your shoulders and exhaling slowly. . . . As you return to your normal breathing, relax even more, letting your shoulders feel loose and limp. . . .

And now, in your mind's eye, notice the calendar on which you write your appointments. . . . If there are some things you know you need to do, but which you have not yet written on the calendar, imagine you take a moment to add them to all the activities you have already scheduled. . . .

And now, as you notice all the things you feel you have to do -- as well as the things you want to do -- how do you feel? Is there a sense of having too many things to do and too little time? Do you feel you must meet the expectations of too many other people and you haven't allowed enough time for yourself? . . .In other words, as you look at the calendar, do you find spaces in your days, regular times that are set aside just for you, when you can sit quietly by yourself and allow your mind to float free from the constriction of problems and daily pressure? . . .

If there aren't enough of these times, especially if you want to develop a habit of doing imagery, self-reflection, and meditation on a regular basis, take a moment now to imagine you can make appointments for yourself by writing "time for me" — or perhaps even "essential time for myself" — on this calendar in your mind (you can later write these words on a real calendar). You may even want to imagine that you write these words very clearly (perhaps in a color of ink you particularly like) so there is no mistake about your intention. . . .

Now that you have added to the calendar appointments with yourself, perhaps scheduling time alone for every day, take another look at this calendar. Now that you have carved out some space for you, how do you feel? Is there a greater sense of balance than you had when you earlier looked at the calendar? . . .

Allow a feeling of warm relaxation to spread throughout your body as you contemplate what it will be like when you regularly meet with yourself for a time of quiet and inner peace. . . .

As you prepare to return to the business of your life — the world of real calendars and scheduled activities — slowly open your eyes, take a deep breath and stretch, reflecting on how wonderful it will be to slow down the busy pace of life and enhance your sense of well-being by tapping into a quiet pool of comfort, calm and healing energy.

© Copyright 1997, Revised 2002, Arlene Harder, MA, MFT