LOVING YOURSELF # 1

I am labeling all these posts on loving yourself as # 1 because it seems to me that they all come first. I also write them because the topic has become increasingly important to me as I age. It may, of course, not be important to you, but I can only write about my issues.

The essential thing here is NOT TO GIVE YOURSELF A HARD TIME. I have been a master at doing this. I cannot count the ways in which I beat up on myself. Of course, I would not have written as much as I have if I hadn't done so. But then again, perhaps I would have written even more if I had been kinder to myself. Above all being kind to myself consists of this: when I am tired, I do not question it, but rest; when I am hungry, I eat, moderately, of course, for being moderate is another way of loving and not abusing yourself; when I am sleepy, I put myself to be, to hell with what else needs doing; when I want to take days off from writing to play, hang out, be lazy, I do so; when I have too many social commitments and I want to get back to my study and into myself, I do so without apologies to anyone, etc, etc. Bottom line: being attuned to the needs of my soul and feeding them.