Self-compassion for me...

Over the years I am learning more and more how important it is to look after myself. I feel like I can no longer keep pushing in all areas of life. It eventually catches up with you. Especially when the external factors of constant change and uncertainty are prevalent. It wears you down.

I am human and do not always get it right, it is easy to slip back into old habits of working through lunch, getting stuck at the desk all day with limited movement, going to bed too late making early morning exercise near impossible, no meal prep which means grabbing something quick, and the list goes on. What is important is a circuit breaker, once I notice these things happening, I make a shift.

Forms of self-care and self-compassion doesn’t mean day long spa treatments and hourly affirmations. What it means to me is setting boundaries, letting go of something, accepting help, practicing mindfulness and gratitude in the moment, or being kind and treating myself to something I love.

What would you add to the list?

Self-compassion for me, accepting help. I had my young daughter at home isolating, hubby away for work and the dilemma of getting my son to his training and tryouts late at night. A school mum offered to do it all and have my son for a sleepover. Normally I would feel too guilty and say no, its ok, I’ll work it out somehow… then spend hours overthinking how I can make everyone happy and keep everyone safe. Instead, I said yes and thank you about a billion times!

Self-compassion for me, treating myself. One morning when I didn’t have to do school drop off and my first meeting was at 9am I set my alarm later and had a little mid-week sleep in. The key to this was doing it with NO guilt or ‘shoulds’. Not feeling bad because I SHOULD workout or SHOULD get up and clean, put washing on, etc. Instead, I woke up on my alarm, did some breathing exercises then practiced gratitude for the extra rest.

Self-compassion for me, mindful moments. Leaving tech behind, brain breaks, fresh air, walking the dog, sitting on the grass watching my daughter do cartwheels, being present for funny conversations with the kids. In these moments I am being kind to myself and expressing gratitude for that specific moment in time.

Self-compassion for me, clear boundaries. Saying no when I need to, blocking my calendar so I can take space, keeping a Friday night free when I know I have a big week of work, travel, or solo parenting. Doing it with no guilt. There is a theme here and it has taken me a long time to realise that I am worth it and it is important for me to look after myself and fill my cup first. It is not selfish, it is essential.

I feel like I just completed a journal entry… I hope you enjoyed the read and it prompted you to think about how you practice self-compassion, the importance of it, and what you can do right now for YOU!

 “Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others”. Christopher Germer