MINDFULNESS MONDAY
We tend to be our toughest critics. We hold ourselves to unrealistic standards of perfection and it is not uncommon to judge or criticize ourselves for one or numerous qualities of our person.
Today we are looking at speaking to ourselves with compassion, to slowly counteract all of the negative self-talk that we give ourselves. Hopefully this will allow us to be more content, confident and at peace with who we really are.
A suggestion for this week: This is a journaling exercise, have a journal/ paper and pen to complete this activity.
· Come to a comfortable seat in a quiet location away from distractions. Take a moment to reflect on one or two things that you judge yourself for, or dislike about yourself.
· In your reflecting time, notice how these perceived inadequacies make you feel. Also notice how easy it is to zero in on these areas, despite all of your positive qualities and abilities.
· Now bring to mind the image of someone who loves you from your present or the past.
· Begin to write yourself a letter from this person that you are imagining. In this letter, address how your perceived short comings are viewed from this individual’s point of view- how it is viewed from an external, compassionate and caring view. Write from your innermost sense of kindness, care and non-judgement.
· When you have finished your letter, take some time to read it back to yourself noticing how it makes you feel.
· Keep in mind that the words in the letter came from who you are at this moment- not from a different person or a different version of you. Know that the capacity for self-kindness and self-caring is always present in you.
Alternatively, you can write this letter from the ‘wise elder within’- the voice inside that knows that we are enough just as we are.
Have a great week and Happy Thanksgiving!