Be Gentle with You
Hey Sunnies,
Happy Self-Care Saturday! So we are officially two weeks into the new year and that also means we are two weeks into people having New Year’s resolutions or even just goals for the new year, some realistic and some not so much. When I was younger I would write all my goals and then tell myself every day I would oil my scalp, run for 30 minutes, stretch, etc. etc. etc. Then, when days got busier I would sit in my bed at night and think about all the things I did not do that day. Well, as I’ve gotten older the most important thing about setting goals is making sure I have realistic steps to accomplishing those things. That means even if I don’t do something to work toward the goal everyday, if I do something toward my goal every week, that is good too. That doesn’t mean I sell myself short on goal crafting but it does mean I account for real life.
The second most important thing about goal setting is being gentle with yourself. Instead of sitting in the bed at night and thinking about the things I didn’t do that day, I think about all the things I did. Sometimes I get to check off working out, brushing my teeth twice that day, oiling my scalp and reading for pleasure. However, sometimes I just get to the bed and say wow, I did my best. Sometimes I’m so tired I’m not even conscious enough to form those thoughts. But, every morning I wake up and extend myself grace.
When goal setting you have to be willing to keep rolling with the punches and the only way to do that is being gentle with yourself. I’m sure you’ve heard people tell you to extend yourself grace and be “gentle” with yourself but what does that even mean in practice? Today it means not being upset with myself when I confirmed a 1:00 pm meeting and didn’t notice it was on PST time instead of EST. It means when my brain gets tired of reading stepping back and doing something else for a bit. It is the only way to sustain yourself and avoid burn out. If you haven’t done something nice for yourself today. Stop what you’re doing and say something nice about yourself out loud.
“You are doing great sweetie!”
“You handled that situation very well.”
“I’m proud of you!”
These will help you to reach those goals. You won’t avoid eating candy everyday or get to the gym, but you can say something kind to yourself. You can extend yourself grace. So Sunnies, be gentle with you. You deserve gentleness, kindness and care. I love you guys! Keep going!
forever blooming,
Mikaela Amira
