3 Easy Actions That Will Bring You Closer to Your 2022 Intentions
The holidays are officially over, and now is the time of the year when we reflect, plan ahead and set intentions for the year to come. The new year can bring more energy, motivation and put things into motion; it's a great time to remember that you can ALWAYS treat yourself as you would treat your best friend - with the same kindness and understanding.
And this is especially important for us as Speech-Language Pathologists because we are constantly giving to others and taking care of others' needs, but we also need to care for ourselves!
In the last blog post, we talked about yin self-compassion, the softer side of self-compassion that is more feminine and nurturing. You can read more about yin self-compassion here.
On the other side, yang is the more masculine, assertive, providing, motivating, and protective side of self-compassion. It's the kind of compassion that recognizes that taking some rest is not enough, and it's time to take some action.
How Can Self-Compassion Bring You Closer to Your 2022 Intentions?
Being gentle and understanding to yourself (self-compassionate) can increase your intrinsic motivation to learn and grow rather than prove yourself to others.
It helps to develop greater emotional equanimity and understand that we are all humans, and as such, we inevitably make mistakes. When we nurture ourselves in such a way, it can support resilience in moving forward and being kind to ourselves, just like we do to others.
It's important to also understand that self-compassion is not only about being easier on ourselves. Another stronger side helps us set boundaries and walk up those steep hills, which is called Yang self-compassion.
Now that we are at the beginning of the new year, let's take some time to focus on the Yang side of self-compassion and help us with the "acting." And to be of greater service to you, our team also included 3 yang actions that will bring you closer to your 2022 intentions goals.
3 Actions to Practice Yang Self-Compassion
The three aspects of yang self-compassion are protecting, providing, and motivating *, and below is an exercise that will provide you with 3 yang actions, increase your resiliency, and bring you closer to your 2022 goals.
Any time you come up with a challenging situation (high caseloads, paperwork, feeling stressed out, etc.), take a piece of paper or write on your phone (whatever is more convenient to you) the answers to these 3 questions:
1) Motivating: Regarding this challenging situation, how can I motivate myself with kindness (rather than criticism)? Don't think; just write down whatever comes to your mind.
2) Providing: Again, with regards to the situation, what can I do to give myself what I need? Come up with one thing.
3) Protecting: Now, mindfully say, what can I can do to create boundaries so that I can stop or reduce the "have to's" and "shoulds" and reduce the negative self-talk?
After answering the three questions above, you will have the 3 yang actions to help you feel stronger in what is right for you and move closer to being aligned with what you want and your intentions for the new year.
And if you want to learn more about yin and yang self-compassion you can always refer to the leading expert on that topic - Dr. Kristin Neff.
The Bottom Line
Now that you have the full picture of yin and yang self-compassion, we invite you to practice. Anytime you come up with a challenge, ask yourself if you need yin (more soothing) or yang (more acting) self-compassion.
And as with any other skill - the more you practice, the better, more motivated, and resilient you will become. Practice self-compassion and let us know if you have any questions - we are here for you.
*Copyright © by Positivepsychology.com B.V. all rights ... (n.d.). Retrieved January 17, 2022, from https://positivepsychology.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/3-Communication-Exercises.pdf