Day 225 - A Year to Clear - Self Less vs. Self More

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Lesson 225: Self Less vs. Self More

“To those for whom compassion conveys an ideal of selflessness — the altruistic quality that we all aspire to (and brings up all of our inadequacies when we haven’t lived up to the level of perfection that it implies) — allow me to clarify: the focus [here] is on the concept of “self-more-ness”: as in self-love, self-worth, self-acceptance. It means...giving yourself massive amounts of slack; allowing yourself to disappoint and be disappointed; having it be okay to mess up and fail; setting clear boundaries. —Your Spacious Self”

— Stephanie Bennett Vogt

New week equals a new theme of “Nourishing Mind and Spirit”. To me it’s all about continuing the trail of self-care. All the thoughts and actions we take have an effect back towards our inner self. We need self-care in order to feel nourished within. The more we focus on self, the more we allow ourselves to place our needs first, we have more compassion towards self and start to implement loving routine for our self.

I personally feel the more we place our needs to the forefront and be able to manage our inner work, the more we will be able to help others. In my opinion, the more we are able to self-care, it allows us to be at our best to assist others. I feel like you aren’t good to anyone else unless you have worked through your challenges. Working through your challenges is part of your own self-care. This is in my opinion what allows your mind and spirit to be clear.

Day 203 - A Year to Clear - Check In WEEK 29 - Accepting and Allowing

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Lesson 203: Check In WEEK 29 - Accepting and Allowing

The week was very much about accepting your self and being present in the moment. It was a lesson of jut letting things be just as they are – not that you had to necessarily change anything but just fully acknowledging your self. How did it make you feel? What got in your way?

I felt like the blocker was just my monkey mind and all the silly thoughts that can flow through. I think the thing with self-acceptance is that it’s done in parts. You can learn to love and accept all parts of you, but it takes time. I don’t think it happens overnight. I think it’s a step by step process of you working through the characteristics, habits, patterns, qualities of you that you don’t necessarily like, you may fail to recognise or think are good, though others love you for it.

I think the meditation of really being in the now helped to calm everything down and make you realise that there’s no need to look in the past or future, but just be in the now. It’s actually hard to achieve this all the time. But the more we can stay in the present, it allows you to let go but also clear space for being more open.

Day 201 - A Year to Clear - Reflections on Acceptance

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Lesson 201: Reflections on Acceptance

Following on from the meditation, we are to use today for further reflection and complete the following sentences:

• It is safe for me to accept and allow things as they are because______

• The part of me that doesn't feel so safe accepting and allowing things as they are is______

• One thing I can do when my resisting patterns bubble up and get in my way is______

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My answers:

• It is safe for me to accept and allow things as they are because, I feel supported and I have the self-awareness to work through things at my own pace.

• The part of me that doesn't feel so safe accepting and allowing things as they are is my monkey mind that can sometimes feed self-doubt.

• One thing I can do when my resisting patterns bubble up and get in my way is take a moment to close my eyes, breathe through it, feel relaxed and then take another approach.

Day 200 - A Year to Clear - AUDIO Meditation - Accept

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Lesson 200: AUDIO Meditation - Accept

Today is about following a meditation or if you can’t access the audio meditate on the following 4 phrases:

• I am here
• I am now
• I accept
• I allow

Really take in some deep breaths and breathe in these phrases for as long as you need on each one. Be in a quiet room and just let our mind clear on each breath. Notice your feelings and emotions, notice your space, notice if you feel differently. What you want to achieve is how each of these phrases radiate out into your body, soul and mind.

I personally felt like it brought on a calmness. That I could go into nothingness whilst believing each phrase and accepting each one. I was at peace in those moments. I liked the feeling of nothing bad impacting me. Just a letting go and being free in nothingness. There isn’t really much more to explain except that it was freeing.

How did you go with the meditation?

Day 198 - A Year to Clear - Self Accepting

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Lesson 198: Self Accepting

Today we are to practise the following statement in present time “I allow myself to be myself.”
Notice your feelings as you say this statement over the course of the day but also any resistance to this but allow them to be.

When I allowed the words to flow from my mouth, I felt a sense of calm and acceptance. I really felt like those words were true. I guess when you’ve never really told yourself to just be yourself, it’s a new feeling and sense. I was reminded to just be a better version of myself when I did a group meditation today. The messages I received from meditation is that to not let the emotions rise up from things I truly don’t care about. I received the reminder that it’s okay to let the annoyances of the day to just wash over me and not to let them get to me. There is something better for me than to fall victim to the noise of the world. This is all in reference to my office job – it’s not truly what I am meant to do in life, so why am I letting it bother me so much. I just need to let the emotions go and let them wash away. The emotions I get from the woes of work, is not truly me. If I allow myself to be myself, then I would just let it out to the Universe and move on.

I will continue to practise this statement out loud so that this calming feeling can spread to any day of the week.