I’m feeling optimistic that many more of us are finding the remarkably simple formula for expanding our awareness and increasing our well-being.
Though I’ve largely abandoned leaning on the idea of a global awakening as a main source of my own well-being, it cheers me up as I come across more and more people who are open to ways of being that are new to them. This crisis of the last 2 years and ongoing is helping as we realise how we have allowed fear to overtake us. There’s the courage of desperation at work, and pain giving extra impetus for moving into unknown territory and expansion.
The formula is in a nutshell – learn to love yourself, or more accurately, remember that you love yourself. Deeply thoroughly become in touch with this – it is there all the time, and we just need to clear the litter obscuring it.
Love yourself – what does this look like and how do we do it?
- Embrace all of yourself, the good bad and ugly and ban self criticism
- Encourage yourself as much as you can, say well done to yourself for even the tiniest achievement
- Look in the mirror and say ‘I love you’.
- Remind yourself when you forget by writing a list of what you like about yourself, or what you have overcome in your life
- Notice that you are not your internal stream of random thoughts. As you can observe your thoughts you are the observer, not the thought. And then stop believing your automatic thoughts. Practice mindfulness.
- Investigate your motives honestly and examine where they come from and why. Why you say certain things in company for example. Notice what is conditioning others put on you and what is really you.
- Give yourself a hug
- Put your hand on your heart and say ‘May I be well, may I be at ease, may I be happy, may I be safe’.
- Savour all moments of joy and well-being no matter how small, this gives all of us including the part that expects the worst, permission to feel happy for longer and reassurance that it’s safe.
Learning to Rest with it All 