Image: Nigel Tadyaneh
Being on your own side means being able to congratulate, motivate and spur yourself on. It’s like having a version of yourself outside your body as your number 1 fan and cheerleader! Instead of expecting others to keep us going, we instead learn to do this for ourselves.
This means that when things are going well, we can say to ourselves ‘Well done! You did it!’ and feel proud of ourselves. It also means that when things are not going so well we can say to ourselves ‘Come on you can do this! You are stronger than you think you are! Just one step at a time – that’s it – good! You’re doing it!’
The starting place [for your own wellbeing] is you’ve got to be on your own side. You’ve got to be a friend to yourself for as Rabbi Hillel wrote a long time ago, “If you’re not a friend to yourself who will be.”
Rick Hanson
Befriending Yourself Practice
Take 5 minutes to sit comfortably in a quiet space, close your eyes and follow the practice on the right.