Be Kind To Yourself (Part 2)
This week I had a friend of mine tell me to be kind to myself; I had not slept well the night before and I was yawning into the video message I was sending her. When I mentioned that I was trying to find the motivation to do my daily run, she rightly encouraged me not to push myself too hard and to be kind to myself.
What’s interesting is when I think of that phrase I immediately have an image of letting myself off the hook. Despite what she may have intended when she said it, I took it as don’t worry about your morning workout, you can skip it.
When we look back on past mistakes that’s exactly what being kind looks like: forgiving yourself and allowing for failures. The first time I wrote on this topic, I covered that side of it. But then I started to think more about what being kind to myself would look like not after the failures, but in that critical moment - the get up or stay under the covers moment - is it kind to say don’t worry about it Kristen, sleep in?
Maybe.
Maybe on some rare days that is the kind thing to do, but for me I have learned many times over that my body needs exercise; it needs running and yoga everyday. Between the herniated discs in my back, my history with a frozen shoulder, and Endometriosis which causes severe GI discomfort, my body requires stretching and movement. It’s not about improving my physical appearance, but I need it to just not feel terrible all day. Throw in the mental boost I get after a good workout, it’s a no brainer that for me, being kind to myself, is not skipping the workout.
In the critical moment of decision, being kind to yourself is not letting yourself off the hook for things that matter to you, but rather remembering what really matters to you.
What matters to me is being physically and mentally ready to take on my day; to be able to be present with my friends and family and not feel sick. Some days the way to get to that may be staying in bed, but I know that most days it is not. My friend was right to remind me to be kind, and nobody knows what that looks like but me.
The next time you have a critical moment of decision, don’t think about the thing you are doing but rather the purpose behind it; think about what really matters then choose the path that helps you honor it.
