c: conscious
self-care
The first step to building momentum with self-kindness is to take awareness and understand it’s significance - to become CONSCIOUS.
Consciousness allows us to truly see ourselves and acknowledge our needs. Part of this is to accept that we deserve, and are worthy, of care. This is a vital requirement for SELF-CARE which is where SELF-KINDNESS begins.
We’ve explored the fact that most people “know” the right thing to do and what’s needed – let’s call this having an awareness. Consciousness is taking that awareness and bringing it into our minds – how it applied to each of us. This is the starting point and where we begin to build momentum.
What our research showed is that most people have this greater understanding – in other words they are conscious. This is, however, where many people stay. If we summed up what we were told, it would be something along the lines of: “I know I need to look after myself but everything else takes over”. In order to move to the next step, we need remember that:
We are worth caring about and have an equal value to others.
Our well-being is the foundation for our life – our relationships, work etc
Set personal boundaries
Give yourself a break
Re-educate yourself about kindness and what it means to your life
Typically people try things such as self-help books and attending courses in the hope of finding the magic pill. While short term improvements can be felt, they aren’t sustainable and so they slip back to the place they started - but a little more weary, frustrated and a sense of their attempts being in vain. They fail to progress to the next step on CODES: to be ‘open’.
