With COVID numbers climbing globally, patience continues to beckon intensely. Nine months in with many forced life transitions and uncertainty under our belts, with more adjustments coming, managing our stress, expectations, desires, and wants can suffer.
Although there is hope on the horizon, anyone else feeling scared, exhausted, tired, and/or weary?
How are you coping?
- Are you expecting yourself to be who you expect yourself to be before COVID?
- Are you treating yourself the same?
- How’s your inner critic these days?
Times are tough, and our expectations are stretched and the continued unanswered questions and uncertainty with the roller-coaster of adjustments and free will of others can be costly if left unchecked.
Do you know what you genuinely need when those moments hit?
Connection? Empathy? What else?
Whatever measures, ideas or techniques to reassure a sense of safety and calm within yourself, please use them, often.
For today, could I add my vote to promoting and nurturing a self-compassion practice to help you weather these unprecedented times?
Acting compassionately towards yourself is about giving yourself the benefit of the doubt without the possible side plate of harshness, perfectionism, expectations for a more values-aligned, loving and worthy approach.
Depending on the deep-seated habits, learned behaviours, etc., practicing self-compassion can feel uncomfortable at first. But I hope you’ll give yourself the space to focus on the long-game of treating yourself with much care and compassion as you would someone you love. It just might take some time to re-calibrate.
It’s worth noting that self-compassion is not about the happiness factor as it is about the kindness required to do and be who you are and who you want to be when the metaphoric plate, whether in doing or thinking, is over-flowing.
Show up, meet yourself at the junction of pain & suffering & irritation & exhaustion with compassion and love. When self-compassion is depleted, life can feel isolating.
So how does one incorporate, welcome, seek to practice self-compassion more?
- Awareness is always the first step! Becoming aware of how you treat yourself but especially in challenging moments, is telling—no need to judge or continue to be hard on yourself for years of programming and habits. If interested, decide to shine a light on the parts of yourself that need some compassion.
- Feel those feelings! Sit with those emotions! Yes, a challenge within itself, yet such a rich practice that pays high dividends. Honour the truth of how you feel. Feel the truth, and when you feel like the energy behind those emotions/feelings start or have shifted, take another step towards yourself.
Such as:
- Have you spent even a few moments sitting with the things going well, especially when in the midst of what feels like a stacked deck of things that aren’t going well?
- Does your metaphoric cup need refilling? Might some self-forgiveness or self-acceptance be needing some attention?
- Using grounding techniques on stand-by and some excellent self-care available in the here and now.
- Consider consulting a professional for support such as a Therapist or Coach.
I hope this little reminder in honouring your truth and needs was helpful!
I am wishing you many and regular moments of self-compassion.