Are you a friend to your own mind? Yes, you may have done things you regret. You may have made short-sighted mistakes. You may have been unkind or neglectful to those who care about you, and over valued the opinions of those who did not really care about you. Or you may have been told from an early age that who you are was bad or wrong.
It you can turn the humiliations of life into humility if you give yourself a chance. You can even move past guilt and shame to forgive yourself for being imperfect. In doing so, you can also become a better, more emphatic friend to others.
There are many ways to make friends with your mind. Here are but a few:
Pay attention to your own mind, and tell yourself the truth. You can use supportive techniques such as meditation, contemplation or keeping a journal. Find out which methods suit you. Look at your thoughts and feelings with kindness.
Find friends, mentors and teachers you look up to or admire in order to help you to grow inwardly. The company we keep has so much influence over us. It can make us a better or worse person without our even being aware of it.
Treat your body with respect. Feed it well, keep it moving and get enough sleep. Watch out for the traps of alcohol and drug abuse.
If you have wronged someone, work on understanding why. If an apology would help the other person, then make one and move on. Instead of dwelling on past regretful behavior, vow to treat others as you would like to be treated in the future.
This list could go on, but these are a few basic tools for becoming a friend of your mind. If you think that therapy would support you in the journey, feel free to call me.