Self Care Article # 7 Self Care is Self-Compassion

 

Self-Care is Self-Compassion

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.  -Sharon Salzberg 

I hope you have enjoyed this series of blog posts on self-care but more importantly, I hope you have felt the need to start practicing some self-care or adding something new to your self-care habits and routines.  Self-care isn’t just a “one and done” task.  It takes intention and planning and practice. You don’t become proficient or develop mastery in anything without practice.  You may find starting a self-care habit, very challenging because your ”inner critic” keeps telling you that doing things for yourself is “selfish”.  However, self-care is never selfish.  It is what you need to bring your best self to your work, your family and your life.   In my opinion, it’s time to tell your inner critic to get lost. Your inner critic is a jerk and doesn’t want what’s best for you but is only interested in maintaining the status quo.  If you make positive changes, increase your feelings self-worth and sense of well-being, your inner critic just might be out of a job forever. I know you think that you just don’t have time for one more thing but to stay whole and sane until the end of this pandemic, please, please, please, give yourself the gift of compassion and make some room in your busy days for you.  Don’t make it hard.  Incorporate the practices that will help you be who you want to be and do what you want to do.  It will benefit everyone you come in contact with, I promise.  It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.  

1. Breathe – easy you’ve been doing it since the day you were born just notice it for a couple minutes.

2. Move your body – walk, run, dance, twist and shout: pick your favorite movement activity.

3. Get outside- just open the door and take a step… TA-DA! You are now outside!

4. Drink your water and eat your veg – no explanation needed.

5. Go to bed!  And Sleep…perchance to dream… and to rebuild your body and refresh your mind.

One final thought from Brene Brown regarding the common characteristics of people who feel a sense of worthiness and keep showing up for life

1) Courage…to be imperfect
2) Compassion…the kind that allows us to be kind to ourselves first.
3) Connection…as a result of authenticity, making a distinction between “who I should be versus who I really am”

 4)  Embrace vulnerability

 

You can see Brene’s TED talk on vulnerability here:  https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability

 

If you need more information or additional resources about any of the self- care posts you can email mail me at joyceqis@gmail.com.