UnCagedPhoenix Magazine: February 2019

Day Two
Write down something
positive about yourself
every hour [yes, we all
know that I love writing].
There are twenty-four
hours in a day, and even if
you sleep for eight hours,
that leaves you with 16
hours—16 things. If you
make good tea, write
that you make good tea.
If you know how to calm
a screaming baby, write
that down. If you have
a great smile, write it
down. [Now don’t cheat
and try to write down
all at one time!] Make
the effort to write one
thing—just one—each
hour. Hold on to this list,
you will need it soon.
Day Three
We all have made
mistakes. We all have
made decisions that have
caused us pain. On Day
Three, I want you to write
a short letter (addressed
to you) asking yourself
for forgiveness for
everything you’ve done
to hurt yourself [told you
that I love writing]. Strive
to be completely honest
and vulnerable with
yourself and write it all
out. Ask for forgiveness
just as you would if you
needed forgiveness
from someone else. Be
humble and tell yourself
the truth.
Day Four
Burn the letter! Now…I
am not proposing
starting a bonfire, but if
that is what it takes and
if you can do it safely—
note…SAFELY— then
burn it. For the rest of
us, a shredder, scissors
or simply tearing up the
letter would suffice. As
you burn/shred/cut/
tear the letter, inhale
and exhale deeply. With
each breath, release the
anger and resentment
that you have held
against yourself for all
of these years. Accept
your imperfections
with compassion and
empathy. Acknowledge,
with sensitivity, that you
are not the same person
you were then and that
you are in the process of
getting better.
Day Five
Verbalize your greatness. We are always surrounded by internal and external
judgement. The constant self-critique can easily become toxic noise. So, on
Day Five, take the list of positive things you wrote down about yourself on Day
Two, and every hour [that you are awake] shout one out. You may want to not
do this in the middle of an office meeting or a library. Instead find a quiet place,
a bathroom, bedroom, closet, roof [safely] and shout it out to the world. For
example, “My name is ____ and I make great tea!” It may feel a bit weird at
first but releasing the words into the world will give you a way of counteracting
all of the negativity you have told yourself and accepted from others.
Yay! The 5 days are over, and you made it! Try to incorporate these
practices into your day-to-day life as a way of showing yourself
compassion/kindness daily. Remember you are worth it!!! UnCagedPhoenix 17