COMPASSION
Kristen Neff has defined self-compassion as being composed of three main components–self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness.
She says self-compassion involves acting the same way towards yourself when you are having a difficult time, fail, or notice something you don’t like about yourself. Instead of just ignoring your pain with a “stiff upper lip” mentality, you stop to tell yourself “this is really difficult right now” how can I comfort and care for myself in this moment?
Instead of mercilessly judging or criticizing yourself for various inadequacies or shortcomings, self-compassion means you are kind and understanding when confronted with personal failings-after all, whoever said you were supposed to be perfect?
Please practice cultivating gentle, loving-kindness towards yourself as a way of being more self-compassionate.
SPACE
A continuous area of expanse, which is free, available or unoccupied.
There have been times in my life I needed some space. A weekend getaway, walk through the woods, riding in the car playing my favorite tunes or just to being in a room all by myself.
Who remembers the Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella 1965 song that went like this…In my own little corner, in my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be. There is such freedom in that chair.
When was the last time you allowed yourself some space?
GRACE
Is the spiritual freedom that arises from living in harmony with yourself, others, and with the entire world. ~Unknown
A virtue coming from God.
Mercy, pardon, favor, privilege, kindness, courtesy, approval, dignity, temporary exemption, honor, beauty, elegance, harmony, charm and divine love.
My 2019 One Word is Grace. I believe grace allows for our Wholistic heart, body, mind, and spirit to all be in full alignment bringing JOY to the world and all those in it.
What does Grace mean to you?
SELF-CARE
The practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular, during periods of stress.
I would like to share a blog that I think is well written. I credit Tracie Nichols with these wise words:
Recently I saw a social media post about self-care steps someone was taking after coming through an intense few weeks inviting folks to talk about the way they were taking care of themselves.
Not surprisingly, an impressive list of messages, nature rambles, spiritual experiences and the like followed.
What was surprising to me was the mixed set of reactions I felt when reading them.
There was my usual surge of “go you!” appreciation for people truly caring for themselves. I also felt exhausted and overwhelmed at the thought of trying to attempt any of these truly beautiful self-care practices myself. And then came an ache of aloneness and an alarming pulse of shame. (Shame?)
You see, my life right now is a storm of worry and off the charts stress. There are hard, hard things happening for 2 people I love. 2 people who are inextricably woven into the fabric of my daily life. People for whom I have a foot and a heart in the role of caretaker.
I’ll pause here to let you (deeply kind, so very compassionate and caring folks) no I’m OK. I know you’re all wise in the ways of healing and self-love and I’m not asking you to do the labor of offering advice (with a gentle appreciation for any who had that impulse). I simply offer this snapshot of my life to give you a bit of context So what I’m saying next about self-care makes sense.
Since a lot of my work centers around helping people Cultivate resilience, my aversion reactions to this post gave me this ghostly sense of being an outsider in a space I typically call home.
That pulse of shame? She’s there because “I know this stuff and I should be doing better.” which is hogwash, of course. But As I am sure you know when our resilience is stretched rice paper thin, that’s when our inner monsters stage their coup.
Hello, monsters… Nope. You don’t get to take over ‘t get to take over…
So right now…
~because it’s all very intense and utterly beyond my control
~because it’s swampy with all the feelings, especially grief
~because my time isn’t my own – or doesn’t feel as if it is
~because the weight of this is bringing me to my knees – sometimes literally
~because massages and painting classes and long walks and silent retreats feel mythical. Unreachable. A climb up Everest in flip flops.
…my version of self-care looks like
- Remembering to eat.
- Breathing a quiet “yes!” when it’s veggies rather than donuts.
- Wearing the softest, most comfy clothes I own.
- Embracing unplanned naps.
- Stopping by a park for 10 minutes between transportation runs, rolling down the windows and breathing. Getting out of the car optional. Walking optional.
- Wrapping my hands around a warm Cup of tea. Breathing.
- Letting plans – for my business and life – go dormant for a bit.
- Holding schedules – for my business and life – gently and loosely.
- Whispering “I love you. You’ve got this.“ when I catch a glimpse of myself in random reflective surfaces.
- Kindness and patience when none of these work.
- Kindness when the patience fails.
- Retroactive kindness when the kindness fails.
So, here’s my invitation to you this time: take a moment to notice the state of your resilience. And, if it feels nurture nourishing, whisper “I love you. You’ve got this.” when you catch a glimpse of yourself in random reflective surfaces. Saver how that feels. Build yourself a sweet well of self-love to draw on when life gets hard.
HUMOR
The quality of being amusing, comical or funny.
Humor is the gift we give ourselves but one that takes a little bit of work. We must look for the humor in every situation and use it to gain perspective, reduce stress and make others laugh and smile. When was the last time you had a good belly laugh?
About today’s author: Kat Middleton is an Empowerment Coach who is passionate about her work and advocates for authentic wholehearted living both personally and professionally. She is a Certified Professional Coach and Occupational Therapy Practitioner who loves working with people holistically; helping others to help themselves see things through new filters. Kat joined the Wholistic Woman community in September of 2017. She is very excited to learn, grow, and have much fun with this AMAZING group of women. Kat is available for private one-on-one coaching as well as group workshops, seminars, and speaking events.