Cutting yourself some slack

The last month or so has proven to be particularly busy for my Intentional Therapist partner and myself, with us experiencing both good (weddings, births) and bad events (ill parents, ill children, COVID testing, deaths). To be perfectly honest, the October newsletter wasn’t at all on my mind and, before I knew it, there were only a few days before the first Friday of the month (which is when we’ve typically sent out the monthly newsletter). Yikes! 

I frantically started thinking about the content for the newsletter. Of course, the more pressure I put on myself the less productive I became. Although we had discussed changing things up a bit with the newsletter, nothing had been set in stone and I felt obligated to stick to the commitment I had made.

As it turned out, this proved to be a wonderful opportunity to model the skill of “cutting yourself some slack.” Not familiar with this skill? According to the Intentional Therapist dictionary (copyright 2020), it is defined as “allowing yourself flexibility to change your mind or intended actions as new information becomes available or as new events occur (verb).”

When used properly, it provides the user with a sense of relief and renewed energy which, in the long run, enhances productivity and a sense of well-being.

When’s the last time you used the “cutting yourself some slack” skill?