Tend To Yourself Thursday {4/11}
Welcome to Tend to Yourself Thursday, a great day of the week to check in and extend some care to yourself so you can live life feeling that much more connected, whole, and resourced.
Let’s take a moment to explore what it means to tend to oneself. Derived from a phrase I often find myself saying, “attending to” oneself means extending care toward yourself, or a part of yourself. It involves honoring and nurturing different aspects of one’s being. That can look like and mean different things in different moments and situations. In one moment it might mean taking a deep breath, while in another it looks like setting a strong boundary. It can look like going to therapy, taking yourself to a yoga class, practicing self-compassion, regulating your nervous system, making art, dancing, spending time with loved ones, or communicating your needs in a relationship.
Tending is a form of mental, emotional, and spiritual self-care. It involves:
- Turning toward yourself rather than away
- Being curious about your experience
- Practicing non-judgment and acceptance
- Acknowledging and responding to your thoughts, feelings, and needs
It can be an inner or outer gesture, soft or fierce, that ultimately strengthens your relationship to self, and improving relationships with others. It fosters resilience and equips us with resources and skills to navigate life and relationships with more ease, greater self-esteem, self- and relational-awareness, compassion, and fulfillment.
This week, I invite you to reflect on what tending to self means to you. Use the following journal prompts to contemplate.
- For me, tending to oneself means…
- Why would I tend to myself?
- How do I know when a part of me needs tending to?
- How does my body/mind tell me?
- I feel most connected to myself when I…
- This week, I’m feeling…
- This tells me I need…
- One way I can tend to myself this week is…
- One way I might prevent myself from doing so is…
If you’re curious about how psychotherapy or mindfulness can help you with this, my team and I are here to support you. Book a free consultation.
Warmly,
Elana