OM Yoga - Be Kind to Yourself

Today's post is a bit of a personal one from me, just to pre-warn you. The last few weeks for me have been quite tough, lots of things have been happening behind the scenes with my health & other things & in all honesty I just began to feel a little burnt out & overwhelmed. Too often I can be my harshest critic especially when things go a little wrong, but in doing that these last few weeks, I lost my footing a little & self-doubt reared its ugly head. So with all this in the background, I found this particular article in the March issue of OM Yoga Magazine to really stand out quiet starkly for me and the timing couldn’t have been more appropriate.

Many a time, my loved ones have told me to be kinder to myself, to not forget to look after and nurture myself, but when times have been tough it's been too easy to lose sight of that. The ‘Be Kind to Yourself’ feature in OM Yoga really moved me away from the negative and centred my focus back to all the positive things everyone has said to me. The article really highlights the importance of taking a step back from stress by finding a few moments in the day to do nothing, to take a few deep breaths and be mindful of the moment. It also reminds us that some stress is good for us such as exercise or taking a small step outside our comfort zone and trying something new. The article really made me think about the true reality of being kind to yourself, what could I actually do to be kinder to myself? 

So as not to overwhelm myself further, I've been making little changes each day; reaching out to my friends & surrounding myself with kind & positive people & sharing a laugh, nourishing myself more with healthy food which is good for me & my diabetes & majorly focusing on my health & fitness. I've turned to running, I’m going to be signing up to a 10K run  in the Summer to set a positive goal for myself & I've also started Adriene's 30 days of yoga challenge which is proving to be a really powerful tool in dealing with anxiety. Just consciously taking a little time out to do more of these things which I love including cooking, blogging and reading, has really helped nurture myself and instil some calm.

I know I'm not alone in my experiences & feelings. I know that many of those around us will be able to relate to feeling a little overwhelmed sometimes by the high expectations we set for ourselves & maybe many of us are guilty of not always being as kind to ourselves as we deserve. While this post hasn't been the easiest to write, it was really important to me that I share this with others and it also acts as an important reminder to myself. 

In the spirit of being positive and moving forward I thought I’d end by sharing today’s quote of the day from my local Tube station; ‘I never look back darling, it distracts from the now.’ – Edna Mode – The Incredibles

Jx

*Disclaimer: I am an Affiliated Blogger with Om Yoga Magazine. Each issue I will write a post on an article from the magazine which has inspired me and share it with you. Have a look here to find out about the other lovely affiliated bloggers.