Life is Going to Life: Be Kind to Yourself

In an interview with the wonderful Leslie Jones she brilliantly reminds us “Life is Gonna Life”. Yes! Preach it! Life is gonna life. We cannot stop that.

And this is what I am learning. Life is going to life, AND we can be kind to ourselves during a tough time.

What do you need to DO?

-Imagine a sick child or your sweet pet, what would you do to take care of them? You would first try to figure out what they need. Now do this for yourself.

-Pay attention to what your body needs.

• Do you need to slow down: read a book, take a bath, get a massage, get some fresh air, pour a cup of tea

• Do you need to speed up: do a hard workout, go for a walk, run errands, clean the house

• Do you need to be around people or be by yourself?

• Do you need to do some research and learn more about your situation? Or do you need to resist gathering information

What do you need to STOP doing?

-Get off social media if it is making you crazy

-Stop blaming yourself and telling yourself that this is all your fault, or it would not have happened if…. (how is this story helpful?)

-Stop hanging out with people who make you feel bad about your situation — even if they mean well

-Stop ruminating. Ruminating makes us think we are solving a problem when in fact we are just going in circles and exacerbating the problem

And when the tough time ends….

Treat yourself like you are just getting over a sickness. Be kind and gentle and don’t overdo. Your body has been strained as if it had a virus. Feed your body, rest and take it slow as you re-enter the world.

What do you do to be kind to yourself when you are going through a tough time?