It is very often that we ruminate about our relationship with others, be it regarding the complex bond that we have with our parents, siblings, co-workers or close friends. However, it happens less often that we actually reflect about the way that we treat ourselves. Metaphorically, we can think of ourselves like a painting that we are so close to, that we can solely experience its colors and no longer the shapes that make up the larger canvas of the self.
we are like a painting that we are so close to, that we can solely experience its colors and no longer the shapes that make up the larger canvas of the self.
The importance of self-blessing in this regard, is that the act of blessing oneself is intrinsically tied to reflecting and bringing presence to what is unfolding on the inside — self-blessing allows us to take a step back and be there for the full painting. When we bless ourselves we are not only listening to the dialogue that is intuitively happening within but we are also being transformed by the power of self-empathy and loving-kindness.
Self-blessing can be defined as the practice of cultivating benevolence towards oneself. Through the use of intention-focused meditative phrases, self-blessing works as an integral part of mindfulness by creating self-awareness and nourishment.
Self-Blessing for self-awareness
Self-blessing is powerful because it is a guiding force to recognize ourselves through our humanity. Recognizing the human in us is strength, it brings empathy and understanding to our struggles and to our dreams, to our beauty and to our toil. When we are there to listen, we are there with compassion. Because when we bless ourselves we are validating who we are and what we have been through. In this way, to be soft is to be strong, and to observe is to be present.
Self-blessing as nourishment
By creating a relaxation response and aiding in emotional self-regulation, chanting mantras have been shown to improve resilience and the ability to cope with life’s challenges. Mantra can work as a wonderful self-help tool by helping you deal with intricate emotions such as anger and anxiety by improving mood and acting as a powerful management mechanism for emotional reactivity.(2)
To bless ourselves is to nourish ourselves. The practice of self-blessing is based on recognizing ourselves as valuable, self-worthy, well-deserving individuals. When we applaud, lavish, and tend to ourselves we are remembering our inner-power and our possibilities. To give love to ourselves is to energize ourselves with life, with spirit, and with strength. To say and recognize the beauty within us, is to develop and restructure our inner-world.
Explore the Loving-kindness Workbooks from the Coloring Method and download a free printable exercise by clicking download on the box below.
