“Be nice to yourself. It’s hard to be happy when someone is mean to you all the time.” ~Christine Arylo
It is the New Year and our first Tasty Tuesday and already I am changing things up. Was one of YOUR New Year’s Resolutions to eat healthy
Did your alarm go off and the first thing you thought of was yesterday’s failure to stick to the play. Did Negative Nelly stop by to “beat you up”? Do you feel that until you reach the “optimal” number on the scale, that you will never be acceptable or lovable or enough? I am here to tell you that is so not true….
Today is a NEW day and with it comes a NEW opportunity to eat healthy. I struggle too. In the evening is the toughest when I find myself mindlessly eating after tracking everything I put in my mouth during the day.
Do you know the ONE thing that made the most difference lately in my weightless journey?
Acknowledging that I’m human, allowing myself to be imperfect, treating myself kindly and gently when I stumble. This is also a great foundation not just for healthy eating, but for living a happy life.
When I cease to beat myself up for “blowing it,” there is nothing for me to rebel against. When I gave myself permission to be human and imperfect, there was no need to beat myself up anymore. Self-compassion does not come easy for me. It is something that I work at and practice daily.
Dr. Kristen Neff, the world’s foremost researcher and author on self-compassion defines self-compassion as three elements:
- Mindfulness – noticing that you’re feeling badly, as if observing yourself from the outside
- Common humanity – recognizing that stumbling, personal inadequacy, and suffering are part of the shared human experience
- Self-kindness – being gentle and loving with yourself, as you would a beloved friend
I have struggled with the NEW Weight Watcher’s program. NOT because it is hard or restrictive. I have struggled because it is about change. Change in the way that I think about certain foods. I mean I lost 108 pounds on the old plan, why do anything different, right? The truth is that I see why I am stuck. I see the things that have sabotaged my weight loss. Actually, this is the BEST WW program yet. I am more aware of the hidden sugars. I am more aware of eating clean so less processed foods. I actually have to think before I pick something to eat instead of mindlessly eating things that are fat free or diet.
The greatest gift in this new journey is learning to practice self-compassion.
What’s something you’ve been frustrated with yourself about this week? Can you try practicing self-compassion with that? If it were your dearest friend, instead of you, how would you respond to her? Try turning that kind and loving voice on yourself and see what happens. And remember, practicing self-compassion takes practice, so if it’s hard for you, be self-compassionate!
Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!
Hope Wissel 