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11.30.00
  Dear Readers: Responses to our previous relationship problem have been coming in steadily. We're still taking some time to sort them out. In this issue, we're focussing on ourselves again, in an effort to help you get through what can be a tough holiday season. It's a little early for New Year's resolutions, but perhaps you ought to give some thought to the suggestion I make in this issue for taking one day per month to be totally self-indulgent. Keep reading and you'll see what I mean. If you have any great sites to recommend or comments on what you would like to see in this newsletter, please feel free to contact us. Sincerely, Betsy Boyd and Amy Taylor, Co-Editors, FemmeJolie 
Do you have a personal style that's all your own or are you more likely to follow in other's footsteps? Find out if you're a trendsetter or if you're just a bit more mainstream.--A.T. Fashion & Style Quiz 
Life can get pretty hectic, between jobs and boyfriends and friends and laundry and, and, and! What if you  could take a break from
everything and take one day to do just exactly what you want? Why
not make it happen? I hereby call all fine young things to make
a promise to themselves to set aside a Me day once per month.
Write it down on your calendar, and plan for it, otherwise you'll
forget about it and make plans to go the movies with your girlfriend
and lose your momentum.
If you live with a boyfriend, kick him out for the day (or at least tell him to leave you totally alone--chances are he'll feel neglected, so he'll leave anyway. (A little incentive, like movie tickets to the ridiculous guy-flick he wants to see, might help). Maybe your ideal day is one that is totally unplanned. If the single biggest stress factor in your life is feeling like you never have enough time, a day when you have nothing at all to do may be just the ticket. I once knew a woman who made it a goal to have one day per month when she didn't speak a word. Not even to her cat. She didn't read, she just did Yoga and sat quietly. For a whole day. Personally, this would be like torture for me, but that's the point of figuring out what your ideal day would be like - you can totally please yourself. For the more, er, active among us, here's a list of ways to get prepared for your big day, and some suggestions for activities that will help make this day one you'll look forward to every month. Step One: Dreaming Phase What are some of the things you wish you had more time to do? Sit down tonight and think it through. My list would include -Read for more than 1/2 hour (before I pass out at night). -Organize just one corner of my closet. -Nap. -Cook something totally new and have the time and energy to WRITE DOWN THE RECIPE. -Paint my fingers and toes and still have time to let them dry. |
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For ad details and prices... susan@FemmeJolie.com -Dig out the music I never get to hear anymore and play dj for three hours. -See a movie I want to see, all by myself, and eat all the popcorn. -Nap outside. -Drink lots of cocoa and never think about calories. -Browse in a bookstore and buy whatever I want. -Go through my address book and erase people I don't need. -Write postcards to the people I do need. -Have a coffee in a coffee shop and write about what the strangers might be doing. -Kick through leaves. -Pick violets and press them. -Nap with my cat. -Shop from a catalog in my pajamas. -Take a hike. Step Two: Put together some combinations. You've probably noticed that some of the things I've listed are definitely seasonal. Some are variations on a theme (did you  get the impression that I love to nap?) Some
combine themselves nicely. (How about cook something for a picnic-for
-one, hit the bookstore and buy a great new book, take it to the park
and read for an hour, then curl up and nap?) Keep your list handy
so that you can add to it whenever something hits you.
Step Three: Take out your calendar and make this date with yourself once per month, and keep it. If you're shy about going out in public by yourself, it's high time you got over it! There's no shame in it, and I promise it will do you a world of good. --B.B. 
Usually when we think of diaries, we think of the ones we kept as young children, you know--the ones that your brother always used to steal. Actually, writing in a journal can be very therapeutic, and it doesn't have to be the "I'm soooooooo in love with Johnnie from 2nd period English class" writing that we did when we  were twelve.
Instead, you can simply write out your feelings. When it's hard to
express exactly what you're feeling, or you aren't quite sure
how you feel, or your feelings aren't ones you're particularly
interested in sharing, your journal can be your best friend. And the
difference between a journal and a best friend...your journal won't
blab all your deepest, darkest secrets just because you borrowed a
favorite sweater and then spilled grape juice on it! --A.T. thriveonline.oxygen.com |
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