Five Ways to Be Kind to Yourself
(This is a goodie from my archives.)
I am soooo incredibly grateful for the massive headaches that I had recently. Of course, while I had them and couldn’t see or think straight, I wasn’t so grateful. However, afterwards when I realized what they were about, the gratitude overflowed.
I realized that I was lucky. I was lucky that all I had was a massive week-long headache. It could have been much worse. I was able to give my body what it truly desired. Rest.
Before the headache started, I mentioned in a journal entry that I felt depleted. The energy had run out, and I was going on fumes. There were lots of reasons for it and if I’d been paying attention, this could all have been avoided. That being said, my body was done. It needed rest. And since I wasn’t giving it what it wanted, it created a situation so that I’d be forced to rest. Thus the headaches.
A conversation from years ago popped into my mind. A friend’s husband got encephalitis, and my first question to her was, “Was he mentioning anything about needing a break?” She was shocked to realize that “yes” her husband had been asking for one. Well, he got one. (And, since his recovery, he even switched his career to something more fulfilling.)
So, what does this mean for you? Be kind to yourself.
Be grateful. There is gratitude to be found in everything, even the “bad” stuff. What is happening in your life that you are seeing as “bad” that if you looked through a different lens you could see as “great?”
Pay attention to what is happening in your life. Look for the general themes and then take action. It’s easier to make small adjustments than waiting for something massive (like headaches) to force you to correct your course.
Look for the patterns that are happening in your life. The Universe and your body are whispering to you trying to get your attention. When you notice something over and over (especially within a short time period), look for the pattern or underlying common denominator. What is the same in these instances? Whatever the common denominator is showing is the message. And then you will know what actions are possible.
Notice your thoughts and feelings. Your thoughts guide you and your feelings steer you. When you pay attention to what you think and feel about what you are experiencing, the choices open up for you and you can see more possibilities and don’t have to repeat the same experiences over and over. The way you feel about something overrides the thoughts you have. Both are important to show you which direction to go and what’s keeping you from getting there. Journaling is a wonderful way to sift through your thoughts and feelings as well as set the course for where you’d like to go or who you’d like to be.
Be compassionate with yourself. When things don’t go according to plan, take a deep breath, pause and exhale. Then repeat. Beating yourself up doesn’t work and only holds you back as it is a form of hate (which is a low vibe and decreases the power available to you). When you are kind to yourself, you bring out the love and peace, thus increasing your vibration and power.
If I’d done all of these a little sooner, I might have been able to avoid the massive headaches, which are a way my body says, “Hey, I’ve been trying to talk to you and you aren’t listening. Since you haven’t listened, I’m going to give you a knock in the head. Hello. Are you listening now?” (Imagine a cartoon image of a body within my head banging on my skull trying to get my attention.)
Oh well, live and learn. That’s what life is about. Experience something. Learn from it. Then, choose the next experience. That’s right, in life you can choose.
Are you choosing to listen to the whispers from the Universe and your body? Or are you waiting for some BIG message? What are you choosing to experience?
