Aspire Magazine: Inspiration for a Woman's Soul.(TM) Feb/Mar 2019 Aspire Magazine Full Issue | Page 55
adore this wise quote from Thich Nhat
Hanh as it highlights how essential it is for us
to love and nurture ourselves. When we are
overwhelmed with responsibilities and feel
we can’t take on one more thing, we often
neglect caring for ourselves which keeps us
caught in a cycle of self-neglect. It is hard
to find solutions when we are stuck in this
cycle and end up feeling more exhausted,
anxious, and/or depressed. Over time we
may become sick and our relationships may
become challenging if we feel resentful and
unappreciated when giving more than we
have to give.
If you can relate in any way to living in a cycle
of self-neglect you are not alone. So many
of us are professional nurturers, caring for
everyone else in our lives but ourselves.
We take on so many responsibilities in our
family, home, job, and community that there
is little time left over to care for ourselves.
But as Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us, we can’t
really take care of others until we learn
how to take care of and love ourselves.
What if instead of placing ourselves at the
bottom of our “To Do” lists, we prioritized time
each day to nurture and care for ourselves?
This does not have to be a huge undertaking
as we are usually more successful making
changes when we start small and build on our
progress. Even spending 10 minutes doing
something kind and loving for ourselves can
create ripples of hope and possibility that
our lives can be different.
When we begin to understand that nurturing
ourselves is the key to doing all the other
amazing things in our lives, it is easier to
commit to the practice.
Next time you make
a mistake, remind
yourself that you are
not a mistake.
I
Here are seven ways to embrace self-
nurturing in your life that will empower you to
love and care for yourself and live with more
peace, joy, and gratitude. Remember you do
not need to do all seven at one time, just
begin with one and add the other practices
in over time.
1. Be Kinder and More
Compassionate to Yourself
This is an essential first step when we are
making any change. Recognizing that we
are stuck and feeling overwhelmed is critical
to deciding to do something different. When
we start with self-compassion, we create
space around us to breathe, feel our feelings,
acknowledge how challenging things have
become, and then with kindness explore
our new options. We cannot make any
meaningful change from a place of shame
and judgment. Treating ourselves the way
we would treat a dear friend is one way to
begin nurturing ourselves.
Next time you make a mistake, remind
yourself that you are not a mistake. Release
yourself from the standard of perfection and
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