We all have responsibilities, some large some small. We need to take care of bills, for example, or perhaps we’re managing a stressful conference or an aging parent. Or maybe we’re feeling responsible for other peoples’ happiness, especially as we edge toward the holiday season. Worse, being solely responsible for our own happiness when times are hard and we’re just not feeling it can be just as frustrating. We tend to make more of all this than we need to. When we become overly-concerned, our noble sense of responsibility feels weighty and relentless. Would you like a way to lighten up on the self-pressure, shoulds, guilt-trips, and disappointments? Would you like to feel more serene under pressure? I recommend this wonderfully helpful practice: wear a crown. Get a beautiful tiara or cut one out from cardboard stock and decorate it yourself—it doesn’t matter as long as you imbue it with your pleasure in owning it. Place it on the top of your head in a gesture of authority and self-compassion. Even if you’re struggling with a difficult telephone call you have to make, you’ll find placing a crown on your head will help! Your back straightens, your voice is calmer and more gracious, you feel more magnanimous and worthy. You feel empowered. Try it—you’ll see.
