The Little Blue Book

4. BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF Feeling good about ourselves protects mental health and wellbeing and helps us ‘ride out’ life’s ups and downs. So, cut yourself some slack! Don’t treat yourself harshly if things don’t work out exactly as you’d like, or your life isn’t on ‘the perfect arc’. Being gentle with yourself flows from being authentic – that is, knowing your strengths and weaknesses, building on your strengths and learning from your weaknesses. That means coping with occasional disappointments; with sometimes failing our own expectations, and sometimes failing the expectations of others. Life, for any of us, is rarely ‘even’, there will always be bumps in the road. Few, or perhaps none of us, goes through on the easy run. And all of us, from time to time, will have moments of stress, trauma, loss, sadness, or financial or relationship problems. In these times, especially, be gentle with yourself, and treat yourself with kindness and respect. Remind yourself that you are on your own unique journey – your footsteps, and your path, are uniquely your own – and look for contentment with who you are, and where you are on that journey. Contentment feeds resilience and strength. Making time for your family, mucking around with your kids and feeling part of their lives is about the best thing you can do for your mental health – and not only for your resilience, but for theirs also. ADA Australia 117 Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 PostScript