Children drink from OUR pool â¤ď¸ Well, thereâs a lot going on right now and that looks different for all of us â being kind to ourselves has never mattered more. Aside from accepting difficult emotions as they arise and reassuring yourself that theyâre normal and will pass, what else can you do for yourself today?
Take one thing from the bouquet, actively seek it out.
đ¸ Rest đ¸
This could be:
đ¸ 5 minutes with a cuppa & your feet up. đ¸ A walk round the block. đ¸ Popping the children in front of a screen/listening to an audiobook for 20 minutes whilst you read a chapter of your book. đ¸ Doing some mindful colouring whilst sitting with the children when they are doing their work đ¸ Plan a freezer tea so you donât need to cook. đ¸ Have a screen break. đ¸ Take some slow deep breaths out the window/door. đ¸ If your children settle at night make the most of it, treat yourself to an early night with a book or film. đ¸ Run your hands and wrists under cool water, and pop on some lovely smelling hand cream. đ¸ Find that newsletter/blog post/message you wanted to read. đ¸ Call a friend. đ¸ Write a card out to someone youâre thinking of and post it.
đź Compassion đź
This could be:
đź List 5 things that you like about yourself, 5 things that matter to you, and 5 things you are grateful for. đź âI am enoughâ, repeat this affirmation 3 times whilst looking in the mirror l, say it louder and with more conviction each time. đź Journal. Jot down or sketch out how you feel. đź Mind map a problem. đź Stop judging yourself and others, be present in the moment instead. đź Capture negative thought patterns as you notice them. đź Explore what your core values are and write down ways that you can action it in your life. đź Reach out for help and support â you deserve it. đź Acceptance. Look forwards, not backwards. Talk through/get help for what you need, and then accept things you can not change.
đş Self-celebration đş
This could be:
đş Write a gratitude letterâto yourself. đş Start a new habit or routine that brings you joy. đş Bring some joy into your workspace with items that make you smile. đş Write a list of the things you were worried about last week then reflect on how awesome you are to have got through it. đş Write a to do list of things youâve already done and then cross them all off! đş Smile at your reflection. đş Got something tough to get through? Plan something for when youâve done it. It could be a bubble bath or treating yourself to a magazine. đş Scrap book a time in your life you feel proud of.
đť Laughter đť
This could be:
đť Set the intent of laughing more today, find the funny. đť Watch that one clip/sketch that always made you laugh. đť Watch some YouTube videos of animals doing crazy things. đť Write a funny poem for the kids. đť Each try and write your own jokes. đť Have a game of consequences with the family. đť Put on your favourite song and dance like nobody is watching. đť Watch old family videos that make you laugh. đť Fake laugh, commit to it until it becomes funny â do it in front of others for maximum impact and to spread the cheer. đť Organise a Zoom call or do this with your family â each share your funniest memory of each other.
đˇForgiveness đˇ
This could be:
đˇ Forgive yourself for yesterdayâs mistakes, if you need to say sorry for anything, do it and move on, youâre human and everyone makes mistakes. đˇIf someone has upset you and itâs making you angry, ask yourself if it was a mistake or something you might have done in the past without realising. Talk to them or donât but either way forgive them. They can leave your life but donât carry the anger. đˇ Acknowledge your feelings. đˇ Remind yourself that we are all going through a challenging time at the moment. đˇ Journal whatever is laying heavy on you, work out what can be learnt from it. đˇ Make meaningful changes. đˇ Meditate. đˇ Treat yourself to some flowers to action your apology/ forgiveness to yourself.
Modelling this to our children creates the permission they need to do this for themselves. They learn from what they see more than what we sayâŚ.unfortunately đ¤Śđźââď¸đ
Pick what you need and remember how valued you are, you are so loved đđâ¤ď¸.
From Child Mental Health website.
Harleen Bagga Multidisciplinary Psychotherapist, Certified Life Coach Founder Soul Therapy with Harleen Bagga