DAY 3: 5 DAY SELF-CARE CHALLENGE
Today is the second day of my free community 5-Day Self-Care Challenge, which is all about experiencing moments of calm in the chaos, finding ways to release tension and heal, learning to soften our approach to life’s challenges, and connecting with others who understand and support our journey.
15 minutes of journaling. 15 minutes of walking. THE gift of a lifetime to ourselves. It’s never too late to sign up: Click here to join.
In the spirit of connection, I thought I would share the journal prompt and my response at the end of each day. Sharing my personal writing is always uncomfortable, but in the discomfort, there’s growth. I know this to be true, and when I remind myself of this, things tend to get a whole lot less uncomfortable. So here it is, my entry for day 2…
JOURNAL PROMPT: In what ways can I show more compassion to myself during this season of life? What words or actions can I offer myself as a reminder that I am doing my best?
Self-compassion, the perpetual practice in my life. I have to admit, I’ve gotten so much better with this… I used to immediately default to beating myself up if things weren’t EXACTLY the way I thought they should be. Now, for the most part, I can give myself a little pep talk and move on, but I do catch myself going into that old habit every now and again. Let’s take a moment and clap for the progress!
This season is a SEASON of life. I recently moved to Idaho, a state that aside from picking out a house in, I had only visited once for one day. I don’t know anyone yet, and I’m not super settled into my house. It’s all a work in progress.
Life doesn’t stop or slow down so I can unpack though. Oh no, feisty time just keeps on ticking.
So with the move, I’m still coaching, putting on workshops, and producing a podcast. I started a Substack newsletter (INSIDE VOICE - Check it out!) to share my more personal writing, and I’m trying to stay regular-ish on social media. It can be exhausting. Scratch that, it is exhausting.
Rather than lament about how tiring it is, I can do what I can and let it be. Some days, I’ll do ALL. THE. THINGS. And others, I’ll keep my meeting commitments and let the rest go. It all sounds good and easy when I write it down, but I need reminding.
Anyone else feel like they’re talking a mile a minute to themselves? *Awkwardly raises hand* but for real, I talk to myself to encourage myself, to work through problems, and to remind myself. I tend to write it all down too.
But all of this reminds me of the one thing I can do to show myself more self-compassion in this season. Be more mindful. Kristin Neff, self-compassion expert, says there’s three parts to self-compassion:
Self-kindness: Treating yourself with kindness and gentleness, instead of harsh criticism or judgment.
Common humanity: Recognizing that everyone experiences pain and that suffering is part of the human experience.
Mindfulness: Being present in the moment without trying to push away or hold onto any emotions.
If I might say so myself, I’m nailing the first two, but that last one, I can stand to improve upon. My daily walks and journaling help me to practice mindfulness, but outside of that, I can get lost in thinking about the past or planning for the future, when I would be best served to be where my feet are.
To show myself more self-compassion in this season, I will be more mindful, anchor myself to the present, follow through on my body scans and deep breathing throughout the day.
My encouraging words to myself: You got this. Better days are coming.
