Release #1 Be a Fierce Friend

The school bus was packed with kids, and as was typical, the taunting and teasing began as soon as it began to move. I sat looking out the window, pretending I didn't hear their cruel words. Then the topic shifted, and the jeers changed. My head whipped around, "You can tease me all you want, but you'd better leave my sister alone!" 

Years later, the situation reversed. My sister took a verbal lashing (undeserved) and stood quietly. "And your sister is just as bad!" Steeling her tone, she replied, "You can call me that all you want, but I'd better never hear you talk about my sister like that again!" 

Fierce friendship. Extended for those we love and cherish. Dear friends, I would suggest that it is time to practice such fierce love on ourselves first. In this 28-day Reset for the Mind, we are identifying those unhealthy habits that weigh us down. Negative self-talk is high on the list of destructive habits. 

We're going to talk more about negative self-talk this week. For now, I challenge you to begin your week by being aware of what you say to yourself. 

"I can't believe I ate that second dish of ice cream, I'm disgusting."

"I completely blew that meeting - my boss must think I'm an idiot." 

"Of course you can't wear those jeans, you're FAT!"

"I'm never going to figure this out." 

Can you think of any? It's noonish, chances are pretty good we got started on those thoughts first thing this morning. And if you have a habit of saying them out-loud, and you have little ones around, in a little bit you'll find your young ones mimicking the very self-criticism you level against yourself. 

Today, try a simple exercise. Pay attention to what you say to yourself. If you wouldn't allow someone to say it to your best friend - be a fierce friend to yourself and rephrase. 

"I'm NOT disgusting. Maybe that wasn't a great choice, but I can do it differently next time." 

"I could have phrased that better - I'm going to ask my boss for help in how I could have approached that differently."

"These jeans don't fit well right now, but I'm going to work on losing 5 pounds and then they'll be perfect!" 

"Wow! This is harder than I thought! I need to break this down to smaller pieces so it's more manageable." 

Have a blessed week!