Awaken The Lost Art Of Being Kind To Yourself

Busy, busy, busy!

Go, go, go!

Rush, rush, rush!

For most people, their daily life is consumed by a sense of relentless speed, constantly pushing for more and rest seems to become an afterthought.

Or worse yet, taking time for yourself becomes something to be ashamed of and avoided at all costs.

At least if you’re “supposedly” a high achiever and elite performer.

But I challenge that perspective with all my heart and soul.

I believe that it’s time we all awaken the lost art of being kind to ourselves.

To honor a path of expansion that combines inspired productivity with intentional self-love.

So while you are achieving, you’re also receiving.

An exquisite balance of success with self-care.

Keep reading as I share 3 quick examples of how to awaken the lost art of being kind to yourself in your own life starting now.

No-Thinking Time

One of my dear friends has such a wonderfully simple way of being kind to herself so she can rejuvenate her energy.

She calls it a “No-Thinking Day”

A day where she doesn’t think about work at all.  She won’t even journal or brainstorm new ideas of what she wants to create in her life.

She won’t worry about doing exercise or running any errands.  Her only focus for her day is not to think.

It’s meant to be a day to SIMPLY BE.  

But if she’s not thinking, then what the heck does she do all day? ????

Anything that she believes allows her to be kind to herself and that brings her peaceful joy…To allow her to exhale any stress or overwhelm.

She’s told me that sometimes that means taking naps snuggled up on her couch, long lazy walks through a park or sipping tea on her patio in the sweet calm of the morning.

She finds kindness in the stillness of no-thinking…Just being.

Now what could your no-thinking day include?  Jot down a quick idea before I share with you #2.

Kindly Let Go

When a client shared this with me on a call the other day, it made my heart swell with gratitude.  For his experience is one of the most powerful and liberating examples of being kind to yourself.

You must learn to “kindly let go.”

Let go of what?  

Those old patterns of the past that seeded feelings of if you’re not busy, then you’re not worthy of abundance and love.

My friend grew up in a pattern of always procrastinating and having to play catch up with school work.  

Over time, this pattern became a belief that if he wasn’t constantly under the pressure to perform, he wasn’t someone of value.

This old limiting pattern led him as a young adult to always feel guilty if he chose to slow down or take time off.  Because if he wasn’t working hard and fast, then he was letting himself and those he loved down.

Thankfully my friend was able to learn to kindly let go of this old pattern of constant work…

And now he is finding ways to embrace the art of kindness so he can liberate himself from the guilt and soak in self-care. 

Stop To Start Again

This 3rd and final tip for today is so simple and yet so powerful.

And it can be done through a wide variety of actions, depending on who you are and what you enjoy.

Recently a client of mine discovered she had been pushing extremely hard in her work towards a set of life goals.

Every day she drove herself beyond her limits with her level of discipline, commitment and focus.  

But eventually, she ran smack into a wall of utter exhaustion.

Feeling lost and completely empty.  Why?

Because she became obsessed with always starting the next thing with no time to stop and reflect.  Everything she did was focused on output with absolutely zero input.

In the simplest terms, her soul tank was empty.

All her fuel had vanished.

Thankfully she was able to find the gift of that empty tank…

Which was for her to STOP.  Stop the constant doing.  Stop the constant worrying.  Stop the constant pressure to complete a never ending to-do list.

And STOP she did.  

She treated herself to a weekend in the gorgeous red rocks of Sedona, AZ.  And she didn’t do a darn thing!

But thanks to her ability to STOP…She refilled her soul tank.

Now she is moving forward back into a sense of flow and peace inside of her renewed productivity.

She had to STOP to START AGAIN.

So as I leave you today, I hope that you honor your journey by rediscovering the lost art of being kind to yourself.

“Go for long walks, indulge in hot baths, question your assumptions, be kind to yourself, live for the moment, loosen up, scream, curse the world, count your blessings, Just let go, Just be.” Carol Shields

I love having you part of my community, thank you for being here,

Lisa