“Be Gentle.”  I say these two words to C countless times throughout the day.  I don’t know why I don’t apply them to myself. I’ve only had three appointments with my therapist, but I feel like we’ve covered a lot of ground in a short amount of time.  At my last appointment, we discussed negative thoughts – how to control them, combat them and make them positive.  I realized that I think pretty awful things.  Things I could never (and would never) say to someone else.

My therapist’s words to me?  ”It’s okay to be nice to yourself.”

Whoa.  Lightbulb moment!  Why do we say things to ourselves that we would never utter to someone else?  How can we be happy with ourselves when we berate ourselves?

My challenge now is to recognize these thoughts as they appear and stop them before they envelop me.  My challenge for you today?  Be nice to yourself.  Be gentle.  Treat yourself as you would treat a dear friend.