Happiness through Purpose Action Points for July
Balancing our personal and/or professional responsibilities over the last year, may have left little time to take care of own well-being. Family members and colleagues may also be neglecting themselves and need a reminder this month to self-care and practice self-compassion.
We have decided that moving forward, to ensure that we continue to practice sustainability, rather than create a PDF version of our monthly happiness through purpose calendar that requires printing, that we will instead send you three action points across each of the four or so weeks each month. Please copy these action points into your personal calendar (for each Sunday or Monday) so that you have a weekly reminder on experiencing happiness through purpose in your life, for your children and at work.
Please let us know how this new format works for you and/or other suggestions you might have for engaging with you over the coming months. Self Compassion: Self-compassion means expressing kindness toward one self when feeling inadequate, when in pain, and/or experiencing set backs. By being self-compassionate, we can become more accepting and forgiving of ourselves.
Dr. Kristin Neff suggests that self-compassion comprises of three elements: Self-Kindness, Common Humanity and Mindful Reflection.
Self-compassion entails being kind and understanding toward ourselves when we are in pain, feel as though we have failed, or feel inadequate. It does not mean ignoring the pain or being overly critical of ourselves. By connecting with the larger humanity, we come to realize that pain and being imperfect are part of our shared human experience. These experiences are not only happening to one person, but they are part of each and everyone’s journey in life-something we all experience. There is comfort then in knowing that we are not alone. Dr. Kristin Neff also suggests that pain and our feelings need to be acknowledged. Be mindful of these feelings while putting these experiences into the larger perspective of the impact to our complete lives. Resources: Give Yourself a Break: The Power of Self-Compassion
Practicing Self-Compassion this Month: Please copy the following suggestions into your e-calendar (Outlook or Google) into each of the coming Sundays or Mondays as reminders of your focus on self-compassion this month.
Week of July 11-17: Positive Feedback
Self-Compassion for You: Practice providing positive feedback to yourself this week. Care for yourself as you care for others this week.
Self-Compassion for our Youth: Ask your children to practice self-awareness of their strengths.
Self-Compassion at Work: Work with colleagues this week to encourage them and to share more about self-compassion with co-workers.
Week of July 18-24: Self-Acceptance
Self-Compassion for You: Remind yourself of your strengths this week and accept that any short-comings are temporary and do not define your whole self.
Self-Compassion for our Youth: Read about the growth mindset with your children.
Self-Compassion at Work: Ask colleagues to track their level of self-compassion and self-acceptance this week and assess how they feel at the end of the week.
Week of July 25-31: Mindfulness
Self-Compassion for You: Use deep breathing exercises as part of mindfulness and to re-center yourself as needed.
Self-Compassion for our Youth: Teach your children to take self-compassion breaks this week when needed.
Self-Compassion at Work: Share wellness opportunities (e.g. yoga, guided meditation programs) available to colleagues through work.
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