Add daily doses of self-compassion

By Virginia Winder

Body-surfing nourishes my soul

I was in a flap today.

Was reading notes from an interview about a blueberry orchard when I got a phone call telling me I was late for a massage.

All day I had remembered work appointments and was on time for all of them, but come to the one thing in my diary that was strictly for me and I forgot.

There was no need to panic though. I put my walking shoes on and raced to the appointment and had a great massage.

Two things have arisen from this that I want to share with you.

The first is not to go into stress mode because actually it’s not the end of the world if you miss a few minutes of something (except for the start of a movie).

The other is about self-compassion.

We too often put ourselves at the bottom of the caring-for list and this was an example of that in action.

There are three main types of compassion – the type we have for others, the type people have for us and thirdly, the compassion we have for ourselves.

For balance, we need all three in equal amounts.

What does self-compassion look like? Having massages when you need them, taking an afternoon nap if feel like it, eating healthy food, not over-working, going for lunch with a friend, taking a stroll with a mate, having an early night and doing things to nourish your soul.

When I talk about the soul, I mean that inner part of you that responds to music, art, movies, nature, creative exploits, being with good friends, laughter and mindfulness meditation or prayer. 

It’s the part of you that feels. It also enables you to transcend into another state of being – a calm, beautiful and even euphoric state that can be incredibly healing.

For me, the things I love doing most are body-surfing, going to a music festival or concert, listening to music that stirs me, watching a movie that takes me out of myself and doing arty things with an audio book playing.

Practising mindfulness is also an act of self-compassion.

That’s what this blog is for me because I am fully focused on the words and writing.

We all have one thing or many that take us to the place of contentment. These activities need to be part of our lives, not just an after-thought.

Note to self – book another massage.