* Pamper yourself. A weekend getaway is wonderful, but don’t overlook the daily opportunities. Sit outside and listen to the crickets, read a book, play with your pets. In just ten minutes you can remind yourself of the good things in life and enjoy them for a spell.

* Have some fun. Exercise your laugh muscles. You’ll feel refreshed. Go out to dinner with a friend you haven’t seen in ages, find a playground and defy gravity on a swing, challenge your partner to a game of miniature golf. A good dose of fun relieves stress and helps you sleep.

* Get out of your seat. Especially if you have a cognitive job. In addition to all of the physical benefits, exercise takes the pressure off your brain for a little while. If you do a job that requires creativity, it gives your subconscious some time to process. When you get back to work, you will find that your mind is ready to try on new solutions to old problems. Sometimes I think my brain is connected to my feet. If I’m stuck on how to design a space or on a newsletter that won’t come together the way I’d hoped, I take a walk. Now my conscious mind is focused on putting one foot in front of another and not getting hit by traffic. And the quieter, creative part takes a deep breath and gets to work.

* Build your relationships. Working, playing, relaxing… nearly everything happens with the cooperation of other people. Networking has gotten a reputation of being shallow and manipulative, but it doesn’t have to be. I think of it as just meeting people. No agenda. People are interesting. They all have stories to tell and something interesting to share. All I have to do is say "hello" and listen. Everyone brings something new into my life. I wouldn’t trade it.

* Try something new. A few years ago, a coworker and I took the day off and went to Manhattan. Until then, we had been mostly work buddies, rarely seeing each other outside the office. From the time we got off the bus, it was like I’d never seen New York before. I ate at restaurants I never would have noticed and wandered into shops I didn’t know existed. My coworker’s perspective made New York come alive in a new way for me. I went back to my life recharged with a shot of creativity, all for a few hours of doing things I’d never done before.

* Learn something new. This stretches your brain in new directions. It’s like cognitive exercise. The next time the community college catalog arrives, page through it and pick a class. Two years ago I signed up for a drawing class. It changed how I look at everyday objects. It improved my writing because I saw new details. As an organizer, I find this new skill helpful when trying to describe what a client’s new space will look like. Am I an artist? No, but that wasn’t my goal. I was after knowledge. And the knowledge I got took my life in a new direction.