A Week in the Life . . .

A Week in the Life . . .

What would it look like if we were somehow granted the opportunity to peek into the daily life of a person who is practicing self-love–successfully acting as his/her own best friend? At the risk of repetition, the study of a person engaged in self-love would reveal a person claiming the time and resources to live within the guidelines of my balanced life parameters: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social needs.  The topic of six consecutive posts in this blog, beginning with “McTherapy” back in October.

Let’s make a comparison between the list of “Best Friend” qualities (in black ink) and the areas of self-care involved in a balanced life (in blue ink). But remember, this time, we are working under the assumption that the best friend is within. We are functioning as our own best friend.

Best Friend

• Shares similar interests–We open our hearts, mind, and calendar to activities that we truly love, feed our soul. What did you do as a child where you completely lost track of time? We never grow out of the need to do what we love. Enjoy!
  
• Listens–We tune in to our inner voice as intently as a dear friend would attend to every detail of a long story we tell him/her. We will hear messages regarding our road to balance needs.
• Trustworthy confidant–There is no better pathway to trust than to feel assured that we are taking care of our bodies, minds, and spirits.
• Honest–Just as we require honesty from a best friend, an honest look inward is a cornerstone of a balanced life.
• Encourages during difficult times, as well as those of success and prosperity–Accepting our trials and successes feeds mental and emotional health.
  
• Dreams with me–pushes me toward my dreams–Our dreams may fall within any or all of the five balanced life areas and often we need only allowance or sometimes a nudge to fulfill.
• Calls me on my sh@#–Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual health may originate with an honest chat in the mirror. Sometimes we need only say, “Really? You going here again?”
• Fun–laughs with me–When we take ourselves too seriously, forgetting to laugh with, and at ourselves, we become seriously out of balance!

Balanced Life

• Physical
• Mental
• Emotional
• Spiritual
• Social

Truly, acting as our own best friend may depend upon taking steps toward living a balanced life.  At times we require only baby steps, at others, huge leaps.  We plan and adjust, according to the demands of life. We don’t require perfection–let ourselves off the hook sometimes, forgive. Mostly, we encourage and talk kindly, just as we would expect from a best friend.

http://greenwoodcounseling.net/mctherapy/