Diana's Neighborhood

Have you multi-tasked yourself into a stressed-out wreck? Change your routine. Do absolutely nothing. Here are 45 ideas to help you slow down, relax and enjoy life.

1. Make a date with nature once every week.
2. Brew a pot of sun tea and invite your neighbor over for a taste.
3. Invest in a hammock.
4. Grow an aloe vera plant to heal sunburns this summer.
5. Eat a Popsicle.
6. Laugh.
7. Get yourself something from the toy aisle the next time you buy groceries.
8. Give the universe time to answer all your questions.
9. Get a sketchbook and draw the view from your deck — with crayons.
10. Watch the sunset with your kids tonight.
11. Make a wish on the first star to appear.
12. Breathe deeply.
13. Take a hike and shoot photos of bugs.
14. Have a picnic with your best friend.
15. Fly a kite.
16. Send yourself flowers, with a card.
17. Stare into space for 10 minutes.
18. Mail a present to someone you love.
19. Eat a mango, or some other summery fruit.
20. Sing songs from your favorite Broadway musical out loud.
21. Make a list of 10 things you need to do. Cross off five of them.
22. Play jacks.
23. See if you can skip for a block without giggling.
24. Go barefoot.
25. Watch the birds.
26. Buy some original art.
27. Ask your houseplants how they feel today.
28. Throw a Frisbee.
29. Take a tango lesson.
30. Book yourself some hammock time.
31. Make a date with your feet to take your toes for a wiggle in the sand.
32. Pick flowers.
33. Put silly songs on your iPod.
34. Invent a new cocktail. Name it after yourself.
35. Spend the day in your cutest pajamas.
36. Eat dessert first.
37. Read a poem out loud.
38. Turn off your cell phone for an hour.
39. Listen to your cat purr.
40. Spend five minutes today sitting perfectly still — it’s harder than it sounds.
41. Make mud pies.
42. Take a nap with your dog — on the floor.
43. Go skinny-dipping.
44. Watch a sunrise.
45. Throw a water balloon.