My sweetie called me a "superwoman" the other day. And, in heroic fashion, I picked a fight with him. Human- I can do. Super- not so much. And, yet, I know my sweetie is not a liar. In love with me- yes. But, not a liar.
Still, I can never see myself as a 'super' thing. I just can't. And, when I ask myself ‘why not’, I recognize that my take on myself (and everything) is based on my perception. I criticize myself by anchoring my gaze through my ‘to-dos’ and (even worse) ‘not dones’. And, then, no matter what I’ve done, I add to my list. Eventually, I lose perspective entirely. (Facebook does not help!) Afflicted with ‘shoulds’, I end up feeling like I’ve never done enough. The suffering lies in the dissonance between unfair expectations and sweet humanity. But, until I change my perspective, I will always feel this way. Must. Do. Everything. is not a healthy mantra for a happy life.
So, I’m working on ways to celebrate what is human about me. Here are three ways to join me!
1) Call Yourself Out
When did we decide that we have to be perfect and ‘professional’. Is that who you are? If so, great! But, if not, stop the BS!!! I swore when I was teaching yoga the other day and one of my students thanked me. I couldn’t help but hug her for that! When we give ourselves permission to be ‘real’ it invites other people to do the same.
2) Eat What You Like
I fall into this one all the time! There is so much information out there about ‘what’ to eat that we often lose perspective. Here’s the simple truth: Nothing bad happens if we do not eat ‘perfectly.’ Having recovered from an eating disorder, this is one truth I learn again and again. Human eating includes cookies and friends and even a drink every now and then! And, this doesn’t make you ‘bad’, it makes you fun!
3) Admit That You Struggle Too
From my human heart to yours, nobody wants to hear how perfect you are. Trust me. What we all want to hear is that we are in this together. If we all have good days (which we do!), then the reverse must be true too. Some days stink! And, this is how it should be. Stop barricading yourself from compassion by feigning ‘fine’. We humans deserve support from each other. After all, being human is a kindred thing!
