It’s Me. I’m the One Being Mean… to Me.
Happy MonYAY!
A new week is here and we’re talking (or would it be reading? Ha! ) about self-compassion. Why? Because I’ve realized something that hit me hard last week: I have been a meany to myself and maybe, just maybe I’m not the only one.
Since June of 2024, I’ve been walking through some transitions—not necessarily bad (well, the neck injury definitely was), but some uncomfortable, unfamiliar stuff and one totally unexpected loss.
Truth is—I didn’t even realize how much I was carrying until I sat down and reflected on all the recent happenings. But instead of offering myself the same love and grace I’d give a friend, I’ve been extra critical and way too impatient with my personal and professional growth. .
And that’s not okay.
When I had the ah-ha moment, I also remembered (well God reminded me) I had the book Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself sitting on my shelf. As I picked it up, I decided that time around, I would slow it all the way down—no skimming, no rushing. Just giving myself space to read, breathe, and start developing some real, for real self-compassion.
Now if any of the things below sound like you, I want to personally invite you to join me on this Self-Compassion Ride:
You deal with shame—especially in silence
You’re incredibly hard on yourself when you make a mistake
You cause yourself emotional pain by how you talk to yourself
You judge yourself harder than others
You beat yourself up when you feel like you’re not "winning" at life
So what in the world can we do right now? Well one thing we’re NOT going to do is overcomplicate it but we can start here:
Acknowledge what you’ve been through. Don’t minimize it. Your struggle, challenges, life changes are real, and deserve recognition.
Talk to yourself like you would a friend. If your best friend told you what you’re dealing with right now, would you shame him/her or provide are and support?
Give yourself permission to feel—and heal. Emotions aren’t bad- we have them because we’re human. Take time to process them with grace- cause that right there is a powerful thing.
Hide Psalm 103:13-14 in your heart.
“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.””
Let’s learn to love ourselves a little deeper, and begin this journey of choosing grace over guilt, shame and self-judgment.
See you on the vlog Thursday where we’ll dig a little deeper into what self-compassion really looks like in daily life.
Much Love,
Natalie
