I love me. I'm a good person.

Am I thinner yet?

Self-compassion. That's the trick.

Psychologists are researching how kindly one views oneself by administering tests to pin point just how you feel about yourself. Do you like yourself? Or not? 

So now having taken the test I have determined that I am the poster girl for having little self-compassion. So sad.

But, I have learned the antidote for feeling and acting on my imperfections. Acceptance and self love.

All of which I can internalize by reading a new book called "The Self-Compassion Diet." Ironically published by a company called 'Sounds True Publishing'. I wondered if anyone else thought to snicker when reading that. But, then again, I learned that if you are a self-compassionate person you are very forgiving. Those of us with little or no self-compassion are, apparently, critical of others, too. Oh dear.

Anyhow,  Jean Fain, is a psychologist, a teaching associate at Harvard Medical school, and totally aware of the vulnerability of those who are looking for something, anything, and any purported expert, to help them shed those unwanted pounds.  

Her advice, "treat yourself with self-compassion. Eat when you are hungry, stop when you're full, rest when you are tired and move when you feel energized. You will lose weight naturally." Gee, that's a unique approach.

There are four roots to sustainable weight loss for you to follow in her book. In addition to self compassion there are sections on mindful eating, social support and hypnosis.

Hypnosis?

So, look into my eyes and repeat after me. "I love me, I like me, I am a good person, I am wonderful. And really thin. A size 0."

In the area of "self" whether its awareness or compassion, self delusional has always worked best for me.