Monthly Mental Health Moment: February 2022
Love me? Yes, you! How to practice self-compassion.
February holds snow, ice and freezing rain. Brrr! But it also holds Valentine’s Day. A day to connect with a special person and let them know that they are loved.
Why not make that special person you?
We are often very hard on ourselves. We fall into the trap of negative thought patterns. Some of these include black and white thinking—we have to be perfect or we are totally incompetent. Remember, life functions in the gray zone. We are neither all good nor all bad. Overgeneralizations—if you make one mistake, then you are not good at anything. Nope, you made one mistake. Learn from it and move on.
How do you talk to yourself? If you make a mistake, are you kind to yourself? Do you tell yourself, “Ok, that was a mistake. I need to learn from that. How can I not make it next time?” Or do you say, “God, I’m an idiot! How could I be so stupid?! No one is going to trust me again. I can’t believe I did that.”
We tend to use that critical voice when we talk to ourselves. What we need to use is the voice of compassion. Think about it—how would you respond to a loved one who made a mistake? Perhaps a child or a sibling? Would you tell them that they are idiots? Or would you be compassionate? Would you reassure them and help them move forward?
Try being that voice of compassion for yourself.
This Valentine’s Day, celebrate a special person in your life. But also celebrate the specialness of you.
Remember: You need to be kind to yourself too!
Join us on Feb 14 and 15 for our Love Yourself events.
Contact our Office for more information or if you need new coping strategies.
Best,
Martha Peaslee Levine, MD
Director, Office for Professional Mental Health
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In This Month's Newsletter
Multiple sessions held from noon to 2 p.m. Feb. 14-15 via Zoom. Registration is required.
- Laughter is the Best Medicine – Dr. Baweja
- Who Let the Dogs Out? – Chad Lauro
- Sitting with Stress: Using Meditation – Lisa Wilhelm
- Writing for Health – Dr. Martha Peaslee Levine
- Drawing Mandala– Judeth Hawkins
- Breathing thru Stress – Dr. Stevie Falk
- Music to my Ears – Jan Stouffer
- Fuel Yourself thru Healthy Snacks – Susan Gilbert
C onnect with a friend
O pt out—learn to say “no”
M eal prep so you eat healthy
P ractice self-compassion
A sk for help
S it in silence for a moment
S tay present and breathe
I ndulge—savor a piece of chocolate; read a non-medical book
O ffer a compliment—to yourself
N otice beauty in the world
Want Better Sleep? Practice Self-Compassion.
Is Self-compassion Associated with Sleep Quality? A Meta-analysis
This meta-analysis found evidence of a significant association between self-compassion and self-reported sleep quality. Want better sleep? Practice self-compassion.
For more self-care strategies, reach out to PMH!
Penn State College of Medicine
Office for Professional Mental Health
500 University Drive, Suite C1746
Hershey, PA 17033
717-531-8658
pmh@pennstatehealth.psu.edu
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