During the time of year that can become a hectic race to visit, serve and give to others, it is important to remember gifts to yourself—gifts of and for your spirit, heart and life—because your happiness, strength and energy make you all that you are to everyone else. These tools will help you care for your amazing inner light—the gift that is you.

Create a room or sacred space of your own. Surround yourself with things of beauty, symbols of inspiration and faith; pictures, stones, mementos, music, fabric and colors you love and that feel good around you. Consider light, music, aromas and a writing table or desk. Create a space that reminds you who you are and in which you can return to spirit.

Take 20 minutes of daily quiet time for meditation, prayer or listening to your heart and higher self. Sacred silence quiets our mind chatter and allows our spirit to connect with its source. This practice is found in spiritual traditions across the world and throughout time.

While there are books, CDs and other tools to use as guides, there is no single way to do this, because it is a process of discovery. For a simple start, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Begin with three deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling mindfully. Continue to relax, focusing only on your breathing. You might like to invoke the divinity of your understanding; that is, your spiritual support team.

You can set an intention, ask for guidance or just bask peacefully in gratitude and receive whatever blessing Spirit has for you. Sometimes inspirations come; sometimes the day just comes together and flows easier. Allow, acknowledge and receive.

Make a monthly date for bodywork: Therapeutic massage, Reiki, acupressure, scented mineral baths and saunas. Your body is the flesh-blood-and-bone vehicle in which you travel through this lifetime. A monthly day-spa date is a body-honoring commitment to the muscle-soothing, skin-touching, tension-releasing care and maintenance of this personal vehicle.

Find someone that supports your vision, encourages you to grow and celebrates your successes, be it a spirit and dreams advocate, coach, mentor or magnificence manifestor. At the heart of well-being are the goals and dreams of the soul; the callings, gifts or charisms that we come here with; the things we love doing and that energize our life. Describe your best, most-fulfilled, happy and alive self—the you that you enjoy being in the world. Create a plan and find the person that will support you to become that version of yourself.

Follow your inner muse. Feed your spirit with inspiring experiences that move and delight your soul: the arts, music, dance, creativity, laughter, beauty and travel. Soak in the experiences, laugh out loud and revel in awe, wonder and joy. Whether simple or grand, find those things that you feel deep, close to your heart and soul.

The greatest gifts, to ourselves and others, are those moments in which we celebrate, breathe deep and smile.

Anne Wondra is a spirit and dreams advocate, coach, muse and magnificence mentor at WonderSpirit.com and the Kindred Spirit Center, in Waukesha. For more information, call 262-544-4310 or email [email protected].