This month is all about compassion! Specifically having compassion for yourself and your choices. Since you’re here I’m willing to bet you’re one of those people that do a whole lot for other people. You’re a good listener, you’re supportive, and you’re always there when someone needs you for a pep talk.
How are you at being all that toward yourself?
This card reminds you that self-criticism doesn’t do crap for you. It’s not going to motivate you (at least not in any good way) it’s not going to do anything for you but diminish your self worth.
Let me tell you a little story. My entire adolescence I was fat and I hated it. I would berate myself and tell myself how lazy and disgusting I was. I figured if I made myself hate myself enough it would motivate me to change. It didn’t. All it did was tear down my (already diminished) self-worth and make me feel miserable.
Eventually I got over the body-hate thing and I embraced my fatness, because fat is all that it is. It has no bearing on my worth. I’m still uber adorable and beautiful and full o’ sexiness and my jiggly bits don’t take away anything from that. When I did that, when I had compassion for my body and myself, things fell into place. They clicked and it was beautiful.
They key to cultivating compassion for yourself is to stop being so judgy.
Picking losers when it comes to dating doesn’t make you stupid. Not having the perfect life doesn’t mean you’re lazy. You aren’t dumb, or ugly, or any of those other things you might tell yourself when you’re having a moment. Release the judgement and focus on being nice to yourself. Really, really, nice.
When you are gentle with yourself (and others!) you add a lot more sweetness to your life. You deserve that sweetness.
This card reminds us to be sweet in our words, actions, and intentions. Soften yourself. If you find that you speak harshly to others make it a point to soften your words. If you’re usually overly critical of yourself or others, soften that as well. Take a deep breath, acknowledge your actions, and do what you can to show compassion in the situation.
Release that critical self that’s always bringing up the past and trying to tell you that you’re a sucky person. Let there be no shame or guilt in who you are right now. Every day you’re healing and becoming a better person. Every challenge and every mistake makes you wiser. Acknowledge that there is great power in healing, in letting go, and in forgiveness. Stop being so hard on yourself, release your criticisms of yourself and others and allow things to flow around you without attachment.
Oh I definitely need to work on this. I am ALL up in my face being judgy and horrid. It's so hard to change that negative self talk, but I'm certainly working on it.