There once was an
amazing woman who learned about self compassion. Her name was Kim McMillen. She
spoke of the enormous healing power in embracing
all of the many parts of our self, both the light and the dark parts. She
knew that the act of trying to
exclude or let go of parts of our personality because we judge them as
wrong can be very harm
ful. While it may seem like a good idea to
avoid our bad habits at all cost, this kind of aggression toward self
demands a high price. The price is generally pain, suffering, loss
of health, and more importantly, loss of self. Kim saw that listening to the needs of these
"dark" parts of our selves and then including them into the
"whole" is what is needed for healing.
More than that,
embracing the shadow, as we call it, is simply the intelligent thing to
do. Who would lock the door to their best friend, their best
teacher and in so doing deny themselves the comfort and learning they
bring? And yet that is precisely what we do when we struggle so
hard to ignore and eliminate our ugly parts. All the while, failing to
make our own acquaintance.
The concept of self compassion
is very important in any vibrant
longevity or holistic nutrition program. Without self compassion
and the embrace of the shadow self, the struggle to make wellness changes
can become a never-ending losing battle. Humor and a little
tenderness toward your own beautiful heart are much more successful
tools for change.
Kim is no longer on the planet, but she wrote a wonderful book before
she died called When I Loved Myself Enough. To get a copy, click on
Bookstore and look
under the Spiritual Concerns section.
