I am exploring the kind promise “I will spend my days in a way that enhances the well-being of myself and others.”

This promise came about because I am afraid of spending my day binge watching TV. I know someone with advanced MS who does that. As I have played with this promise, I begin to understand how one might do that. In fact, I did it myself in transitional care as I was recovering from the flu. There may be times in my life where I will do that again. With this promise on my list, I hope to delay the time when that is what I do day after day.

I like the idea of well-being. One can decide the definition of that word. At the moment, my definition is pretty broad. I use 12 kind promises as tools.

While you are welcome to borrow my promises, it might be most helpful for you to come up with your own.

First, make a list of the unhelpful messages you tell yourself.

I sometimes refer to this as my “monster mind”. What does your inner voice tell you about how you are not enough? The graphic above reflects my monster mind. It’s part of my Comfort and Joy e-book.

Next, think of a kind promise that argues in favor of your worthiness.

for instance, if you are thinking “you’re not strong enough,” you can make a kind promise “I will share my strengths.” (I’ve done that one.) In a way, the kind promises are a response to the “there is no way out” thinking. If you are thinking “you don’t have what it takes,” you might do some journaling about what you think it takes and let a promise emerge from that. It might be “I will greet each moment with an open heart.”

Once you have a promise, you can decide how to engage with it.

Do you want to hold it in your mind as you go through your days? Do you want to journal about it? Do you want to talk with friends? Whatever you think would be most helpful to you, do it.

As long as you have a little energy, you can play with some kind promises. They can be a tool to take you toward well-being and healing.