Finding the love

It’s easy to be mean.

It’s easy to say cutting words.

It’s easy to swear, throw a temper tantrum, and be upset.

It’s really easy for many people to do this to themself. I see it in my work as an outpatient dietitian very frequently, and sometimes within myself. So I wonder, what if we turn the table in the New Year, what if we focus on behavior that is the opposite?

Try to be nice.

Try to use words that are kind.

Try to use descriptive words, take deep breaths, and be upset without upsetting.

I have had a lot of people tell me pretty negative things that they think about me. There may be a shred of truth, and a shred of fiction, and a whole lot of what they think about themself in those statements, but I get to decide how I feel. And I’m not taking that negativity on any more.

One of my favorite quotes is by Eleanor Roosevelt, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” That goes for our inside voice too. With a lot of support, I am working to let anything that doesn’t offer me nice behavior, kind words, and descriptions of the truth that allow for true feelings, but not manipulation, pass me by. I will not hold it. I will not carry it. And I will speak and behave with myself (and others) trying to be nice, trying to use kind words, and being descriptive without hurting. This isn’t a quick change, it’s a lifetime of practice and intention, realizing that the old has crept in, gently say good bye and let it dissipate.

Will you join me in this self-care in 2024?

Image by Erix Zimmerman December 2023 ©