Being Gentle With Myself

I find that being upset with me results in devastating effects on my self esteem.  Criticizing and devaluing myself only leads to making me feel ill and not healthy.  Self criticism plays havoc with my state of well-being.  It sends a danger signal to my nervous system that can result in a fight/flight mode just like being chased by a bear.  Being chased by a bear will resolve itself rather quickly, but continued emotional stress and trauma can go on and on.

Danger from within is more devastating than danger from without because it is constantly being agitated by my thoughts and feelings.  Being in this constant state of agitation slows down my cellular growth and repair, digestive and immune functions, and higher cognitive processes in order to help me prioritize my mid-brain function to facilitate escape.  Unfortunately in this play of self criticism it is me that I am trying to escape from; an impossible task...

Learning to value me as I am is where I begin to be gentle with me.  Being gentle with myself I learn to accept my mistakes as just that, mistakes, not major catastrophes.  Mistakes are lessons to teach me as I move through life. I learn from them and move on.  I don't define them as who I am but only that they are the teachers that guide me on my life's journey. My world and my self esteem do not rise and fall on my mistakes, they are just the sign posts on this journey.

In being gentle with me I learn not to take myself so seriously.  It is a lesson in staying present in the moment.  Past regrets and future anticipations do not exist in the present.  Letting them go allows me to move fully into the joy of the moment. In each moment I do the best that I can which moves me out of the could have, should have, would have thinking.  If I don't like something I am doing, feeling, or thinking then I change it in the moment.  If I do like it then I can stay present in that awareness.

Every moment is a new beginning and as I remember this I am reminded to be gentle with me. Realizing and understanding this I am propelled into self-love and self-acceptance and this helps me remain strong at the center of myself.  When I stay in that place it is much easier to be kind to me.  I then am not sending danger signals to my body because I see and treat me as a loving friend rather than someone to fear.  I no longer gear my senses for escape but know that all is well within me.  My thoughts and feelings are in balance with my body, and my physical and cognitive functions are free to support rather than work against me. 

  

My inner landscape resembles this picture of calm and tranquility instead of fighting and trying to escape from myself.  In doing this I promote my health, physically, mentally, and emotionally.  It is, I believe, a state we all want, and by stepping out of our way of fighting with ourselves I feel we each have the opportunity to reach this.  Staying present in each moment and loving and accepting ourselves we learn to move out of the agitation of fight/flight mode and into becoming peaceful with ourselves.  This gentle approach to ourselves lengthen lives and brings tranquility into the world. I believe that learning to be gentle with ourselves is one of the most important lessons of life. 

Enjoy the day, my friends....