064 - The Art of Stillness and Keeping our Own Company

Welcome to The Fully Lived Life podcast! A podcast for those who are longing to pursue the full life and want to break free from anything that holds them back. Listen in as two friends - a psychologist, Dr. Merry, and a life coach, Gillian - talk about life, love, and purpose - with wisdom, humor, and transparency -  through the lens of science, psychology, and faith.

What:

How would you rate yourself at being able to keep your own company?  Are you able to sit with your thoughts in stillness and feel comfortable, or do you feel stressed? Do you focus on building a healthy relationship with yourself?  Tune in to this episode to hear about the barriers, fears, and healthy practices of stillness and keeping your own company.

So What:

Our thoughts, particularly the ones involving self-perception, greatly impact our well-being. This is a time to practice self-compassion that we have spoken about before. Self-compassion means being gentle, kind, and understanding with yourself; accepting that you are not perfect; and understanding that there is potential for learning and growth in every mistake you make ( Kristen Neff, 2003).

Developing the practice of stillness with yourself can be uncomfortable in the early stages. Consider it a renovation project that peels back the layers to create the foundation and environment for a new beautiful space to emerge.

Now What:

Using a practice like the Examen can help us foster and grow the relationship with ourselves.

Therapeutic Tip and Life Coaching tip: We recommend the daily check-in similar to the practice of the Examen. The link to the Daily Check-in is below in the links.

Start the process small with something you enjoy. Combine self-care and the daily check-in with yourself. Use meditation to focus on Scripture of something life-giving to still yourself.

Links:

Dr. Merry’s book: https://amzn.to/2rCrJyI

Dr. Merry’s website: https://drmerry.com

Dr. Lin & Associates: http://drlinandassociates.com

Gillian’s Website: https://gillianmcshane.com

Daily Check-In: http://bit.ly/2P4wUD7