Hello!
How are you doing today?
Congratulations on taking a moment to check in with yourself, to prioritize yourself, to honor that you are important to yourself. This week’s Illuminate dives into the benefits of self-compassion, a topic to which I am particularly drawn.
Illuminate: Talk to Yourself Like You Would Your Best Friend
What’s a challenge you’re going through?
Science suggests you try practicing self-compassion, specifically, speaking kindly to yourself. In a recent study, scientists studied a group of adults in the 10 months following their divorce. During this difficult time, those who spoke more kindly to themselves were significantly more well-adjusted at the end of the 10 months than those who spoke harshly to themselves. They even beat out those who practiced optimism and self-esteem during the same timeframe.
It turns out, being kind to yourself has real benefits, especially in times of need. But how exactly do you speak kindly to yourself? Time to activate!
1: Think of a challenge you’re currently facing
What is something that has your heart hurting a bit these days? Or something you just can’t figure out and keeps you spinning? Notice where you feel things changing in your body when you think of your challenge.
2: Speak kind words to yourself
Respond to yourself about this situation like you would your best friend or your child. Give yourself some grace for hurting, for over-thinking, for making a mistake. All it takes is a sentence or two. Go on and give it a try. When you’re done, go to step 3.
3: How does it feel?
Now that you’ve told yourself a few kind words, what differences do you notice? Don’t forget to check in with your body, too, does your chest feel less tight or heavy? Have your muscles relaxed? You have the power to do this for yourself– congratulations!
REFRESH + RENEW EVERY MONDAY WITH ILLUMINATE IN YOUR INBOX!
If you found speaking kindly to yourself to be effective (even for this short amount of time!), how could you introduce the practice into your life more regularly?
How does self-compassion feel different than optimism or self-esteem? Can you feel the difference in your body?
With truckloads of compassion,
Maria
Illuminate is a weekly e-mail series that provides practical tips + galvanizing inspirations for practicing an emotionally intelligent life. In our time together, we’ll operate from the assumption that you have all the wisdom you need inside of yourself + that you have a purpose the world needs to see. We will explore the tools + techniques to illuminate your own inner wisdom and purpose. If you’d like to receive this free gift of goodness in your inbox every week, subscribe here.
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