Choosing to care . . . about me!

Last week we had an interesting conversation about choosing to care about my own needs.  Choosing NOT to neglect my own needs in order to meet the needs of many others. The most powerful and positive impact we can have on others is accomplished by taking responsibility for ourselves and allowing others to be responsible for themselves.  Wow!  What a concept!  The tool from last week created the most interesting conversation this week. 

Tool:
1. Make a list of your REAL needs and make a list of your MANUFACTURED needs for the week.

This week began by group members talking about the difference between what real and manufactured needs are.  That led us to this week's nugget which was about feelings.  Years into lifestyle change, many of us may still be battling with ourselves about this issue. Of all the prohibitions we've lived with, this one is potentially the most damaging and the most long-lived.  Many of us needed to shut down the emotional part of ourselves in order to survive certain situations.  Others were shamed or reprimanded for expressing feelings.  Times have changed!  We are neither weak nor deficient for feeling our emotions.  It means we are becoming healthy and whole!

Tool:
1. Feel your feelings with a backdrop of truth.  Define your backdrop of truth.
(Ex: You feel shame, like you are a BAD person, for not babysitting your friend's children during your important work meeting.  Your feelings are certainly real because you feel them.  Are they true? No. How do you know? That is the backdrop of truth.  It is what tells you whether or not what you feel is true.)

Christiane Matey, HOPE Lifestyle - Nutrition Leader now has her own blog which will be a wonderful resource for all of us.  It will also be an extremely helpful way for any of you who may miss the meeting to catch up.  Her information is so incredibly interesting and helpful.  Here is the link to Christiane's blog and her class this week.  http://www.hopelifestyle.blogspot.com/