We did an exercise the other day about what your challenge gave you permission to do. Now it is time to see if you can give yourself that permission so that your challenge or struggle is not continuing to benefit you in some way. 

In my case, the general pattern was that not falling asleep quickly and being tired the next day was giving me permission to treat myself (extra meditations, a lazy TV night) and to not be as productive as I otherwise may have been (not as many projects, taking less initiative). So I am going to give myself permission to do an extra meditation at least once a week (whether I feel I ‘need’ it or not) and take some downtime to just read.  I am also going to check in with myself when I have projects to do and see if its feel right in the moment to do them. So I am giving myself the luxury of not pushing myself for the sake of getting something done or being productive.

I invite you to look at the permission items you wrote down last week and see what commitments you would like to make. Maybe it is about putting your needs first or spending money on health related items or services that sometimes feel like a luxury (ex. a massage or organic food) or maybe you need to give yourself permission to sometimes simply be, to slow down, to say no to an invitation and get off the hamster wheel of always doing, achieving or producing. Whatever permission you decide on, please know that this is an important step and that some pampering and extra self-love may be needed to help you through your challenge.

Next week we will take a closer look at complete acceptance of your struggle and how this can be a very beneficial step. Until then, enjoy treating yourself – you deserve it!

Jackie