81 Presents to Give Yourself

Confession: I’m a big believer in the Power of Positive Thinking as well as Being Kind to Yourself. My dad, who dealt with depression for years, struggled with these two concepts.

As I was sorting through some of his old papers I came across this list of 81 Presents to Give Yourself stuffed into a long forgotten folder. It’s a great list for bringing more joy to your days, regardless of your mental health status, so I decided to share it here….

81 Presents to Give Yourself

Walk instead of ride
Give yourself a compliment
Break a bad habit, if just for today
Search out a long-lost friend
Read a poem aloud
Look at the stars
Visit a shut in

Be thankful
Use a new word
Frame a picture
Enjoy silence
Walk to the nearest park
Forget an old grudge
Take yourself to lunch
Help a stranger
Try a new food

Go to the library (or your favorite book shop)
Take a risk
Jump into a pile of leaves
Tell someone you love him or her
Take a rainy day nap
Sign up for a class
Do something you’ve always wanted to do
Contact someone you’ve been thinking of
Meditate
Learn something new
Surprise a child
Hug someone
Sing in the shower
List 10 things you do well
Walk in the rain
Pay a compliment
Give away something you don’t like
Waste a little time

Curl up before a fire with some cocoa
Buy a ticket to a special event
Return something you’ve borrowed
Organize some small corner of your life
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Pop popcorn
Turn of the TV and talk
Draw a picture, even if you can’t draw
Practice courage in one small way
Keep a secret
Eat with chopsticks
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Go wading
Bake Bread
Smell a flower
Kiss someone
Send a card to someone for no reason
Clean out your wallet

Take an early morning walk
Laugh at yourself
Tell a joke
Look at old photos
Walk barefoot
Talk to a pet
Visit a lonely person
Go for a swim
Give yourself a present
Build a sandcastle
Follow an impulse
Write a poem
Start a new project
Volunteer some time to a good cause
Have breakfast in bed
Reread your favorite book

Give your dog a bone
Take a different road home
Watch the sun set
Let someone do you a favor
Allow yourself to make a mistake
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Hide a love note where a loved one will find it
Make a surprise gift
Go to a fair
Lie on the grass
Do something hard to do
Rearrange a room
Get up before anyone else
Let someone love you
Hum

Source: Unknown; Some of these ideas are from the Mental Health Association of Oregon