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Art of Self-Nurturing Year monthly intentions

“A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your life.” 

~Christopher Germer

Our Art of Self-Nurturing theme for the year is open hearted and February’s theme is self-compassion. I believe self-compassion is the antidote to living in overwhelm and exhaustion and holding ourselves to unrealistic expectations of perfection. When we don’t meet those unattainable expectations we often feel like there is something wrong with us and our inner critic becomes very loud. One empowering way to counter our inner critic is self-compassion. 

When we intentionally cultivate self-compassion, we embrace practical ways to begin treating ourselves like a dear friend. Embracing our experience with self-compassion allows us to remain open hearted and come from a place of love and kindness. When we treat ourselves with compassion, we are able to be more curious, compassionate, and connected with others. Compassion is the key to nurturing more loving relationships with ourselves and everyone else in our lives. 

Here are five self-compassion practices to cultivate an open heart:

  1. Listen to your body.

Our bodies have so much wisdom to share with us and yet often we forget to listen. Our bodies are also a source of judgement and self-criticism for many of us. Beginning the practice of listening to your body with curiosity and kindness can be transformative and provide an ongoing way to bring self-compassion to your life.

  1. Acknowledge and affirm your emotions.

Choosing to acknowledge and affirm your emotions is a revolutionary act and is an empowering practice to cultivate self-compassion. Most of us yearn to feel seen, acknowledged, and affirmed and yet look for others to do this for us. Recognizing our emotions and making space to feel and process them are deeply self-compassionate choices. You may want to journal about your feelings or talk with a trusted friend. Ultimately making space to acknowledge and affirm your emotions will allow you treat yourself with compassion and remain open hearted.

  1. Speak to yourself like a best friend.

One way to embrace self-compassion in a consistent way is to intentionally speak to yourself like a best friend. The more we befriend ourselves the more we treat ourselves with kindness and love. If you wonder what to say to yourself, think about what you would say to a dear friend and bless yourself with those same kind words. Committing to speaking to yourself with compassion will allow you to remain open hearted no matter what challenges you are navigating.

  1. Be kind when you make a mistake.

When we make mistakes it is a particularly important time to practice self-compassion. Give yourself permission to take a breath, place your hand on your heart, and remind yourself you made a mistake but you are not a mistake. See what you can learn from the experience and choose kindness and self-compassion as you keep your heart open to yourself.

  1. Celebrate your compassionate choices.

Every time you are compassion to yourself celebrate your empowered choice. At the end of the day, reflect on your self-compassion choices and acknowledge your commitment to cultivating an open heart. As you reflect on the difference self-compassion makes in your life, you will feel more and more empowered.

Here are some gentle reminders:

  • If you find yourself criticizing yourself, pause, take a breath, and choose a kinder approach.
  • Ask yourself: What would I say to a dear friend? Then choose to say those words to yourself.
  • Choosing to respond to yourself with compassion is a transformational act of love, kindness and acceptance.
  • How we treat ourselves informs others how to treat us.
  • When we choose to treat ourselves with kindness and compassion, we teach others by our example and the ripple effects are endless.
  • With each act of self-compassion, we reinforce our worthiness and nurture peace in the world from the inside out.

Final self-compassion practice: Place your hand on your heart and say something kind and encouraging to yourself.

May you be inspired to cultivate an open heart with self-compassion and nurture peace in the world from the inside out!

Kelley Grimes

Sending you so much peace, love and gratitude,

KELLEY GRIMES, M.S.W.
Counselor, Author & Speaker

Self-Nurturing Starter Kit

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