Well, we find ourselves again at the end of a year. For me 2021 was better than 2020, although they both had many moments of challenge, joy, connection, love, isolation, triumph, failure. Although they have been two very odd years they have still been very representative of life in general; they have held all the feelings.
Over the past couple of years I’ve noticed that when I experience uncomfortable emotions I have some regular go-tos I use to try and get through. Often those things help a bit, but overall don’t really allow me to grow through the challenge. Drinking a few too many glasses of wine or binging on episodes of shows I’ve watched many times before, or over-thinking the same topics have been my go-tos. And I don’t think we should feel shame for having those tools, to an extent they do work, they do soothe us.
But I’ve realised recently, particularly with the help of the wonderful meditations by Sarah Blondin on Insight Timer, that often times when we feel uncertain, overwhelmed, lonely, frustrated the best medicine is to be self-loving. It’s to find a little space to just sit and say kind words to yourself. It’s a re-learning. Rather than seeing those emotions as triggers to numb out, they can be triggers to self-love, to meditate, to breathe, to be, to listen to some calm music, to practice self-compassion.
I’m still very much at the beginning of that journey, and have to keep reminding myself to self-love rather than numb. I keep trying to remember it’s a choice, we can go one way or the other, and I think that’s a great first step in the right direction.
So, how will you practice choosing self-love in 2022? What does it look like for you?
With love as always, Hannah and Team Bird
Image by Jonny Caspari https://unsplash.com/@jonnysplsh