Almost one full week of Lent down. How are you doing so far?
Did you come up with attainable and manageable goals for yourself possibly centered around what is holding you back: from loving yourself, being vulnerable, walking in forgiveness, taking up space, owning your voice, being fully alive ETC?
How did it go implementing those goals? Did you over commit and plans of meditating at 5 am have turned into sleeping late and blowing the whole thing off? Or did it slip your mind altogether and the mindfulness you were anticipating has all but disappeared in the life survival game?
If any or all of this is your story starting out this Monday, don't give up today is a new day and a new week. Remember that whenever we try something new that has the potential to open us up to greater revelations and better self-care all the hounds of hell come out to stop this progress. Any time we set out to love ourselves, our world and Creator better it is a life adjustment, takes practice, needs time! Which means we will have days where it completely slips our minds to be kind. But this is not the end, it is only the beginning.
Full disclosure- My 1st week was spotty, I was okay in the self-care department, but forgot my whole personal goal of seeing where a need for control had shown up that day. I also forgot to put a reminder in my phone, so I took care of that daily reminder this morning. My self-talk awareness was better, I tried to check in periodically during the day with what my dialogue was. I also tried to practice catching myself when I said something disparaging about myself and make a mental modification.
If the point of this practice is learning to love better, loving looks like letting ourselves off the hook for some minor missteps (just like we let others off for their minor missteps), also teaching and practicing how we want to be treated. For some of us it is easier to treat others well than treat ourselves well. This is where we want a clearer vision.
God was onto something when they said Love your neighbor as yourself. If I can't love myself well, how can I love my neighbor better?