How connected are you feeling to Y-O-U these days? If your answer is “not so much,” we see you. 

For many of us, this is an incredibly busy time of year … and it’s only going to get busier as the holiday season kicks off. And when life feels stressful or overwhelming, our relationship with ourselves tends to deteriorate. Who has time to revisit goals and take inventory of our emotions when there are errands to run, gifts to buy and meals to prep? 

We’ve heard it since we were kids — we need to have patience. Patience when learning how to tie our shoes, patience when learning how to ride a bike, patience in waiting to get our license, and patience in turning another year older so we can do all the things grown-ups do. 

But life is different than it was even two decades ago, and there are many things we don’t have to wait for. We no longer have to patiently watch ads that interrupt our TV shows or wait weeks by the mailbox for something to arrive.

Would you ever tell your best friend she wasn’t doing enough, wasn’t worthy of great things, or worse, call her an idiot? Would you ever berate her for making a tiny mistake? 

Of course not! You’d never bully anyone you cared about like that, and yet, how often do you do it to yourself? 

Our hope is you answered “never” — but, sadly it happens more than most of us even realize. We tell ourselves we’re not good enough, not attractive enough and kick ourselves when we’re down.