A Self-Compassion Guide For Beginners and Professionals: Wisdom from a High Achievers Coach in Atlanta
I was watching a recent movie or a tv show the other day, and someone called Atlanta, “HOT-lanta.” The other person deadpanned, “No one calls it that anymore.” 🤣 No more, indeed. Atlanta is a vibrant city, filled with top performers, high achievers, and professionals who are killing it in their careers. When you’re struggling with self-criticism, poor self-image, and eating and body image issues, it’s tough to generate self-compassion in such a forward-moving place. As a high achievers coach in Florida, I know how important that is, so I’ve created a self-compassion guide for people struggling with binge eating, bulimia, and emotional eating in Atlanta.
#1. Seed Self-Compassion at the Carter Presidential Gardens in Georgia
The Carter Presidential Gardens include a 35-acre park with a cherry orchard, a rose garden, a koi pond, and waterfalls. Enjoy the soothing sounds of water rushing and birds chirping as you meander around the fragrant blooms. When you do so, take deep breaths and focus on your surroundings. Feel connected to peaceful, living things. In your heart, honor and love the beauty around you and acknowledge that you, too, deserve to honor and love yourself. If self-love feels like too much of a stretch, acknowledge that as much as the living things in this garden deserve love, compassion, and care, you do as well.
#2. Craft Self-Compassion at the Cathedral of St. Philip Labyrinth
There is a walking labyrinth on the Cathedral of St. Philip grounds. A labyrinth is an intricate maze that you can walk while you meditate, pray, and be mindful of the present moment. It’s a peaceful Atlanta location where you can tap into the spiritual part of yourself. Spiritual can mean anything more significant than yourself, whether that be God, the Universe, higher power, nature, energy, or all living things in the world. It’s anything that transcends you as an individual. As you walk the labyrinth, consider it a metaphor for walking inward toward spiritual or larger truths. When astronauts go to the International Space Station, they often return home with a greater sense of how interconnected we are. Connection with our inner selves and with the world around us crafts self-compassion. As we realize how the world is meaningful and beautiful, we learn to see that in ourselves.
#3. Cultivate Self-Compassion at the Japanese Zen Garden at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead
Considered one of the top Japanese Zen gardens in the U.S., this tranquil place at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead has a three-story waterfall, lush greenery, a bridge, a bamboo thicket, stonework, and winding paths. Takeo Uesugi, an award-winning Kyoto architect, designed it. One great tip is to go up to the third-floor veranda to get a birds-eye view of the garden. Japanese Zen gardens are all about feeling serene and peaceful. When you want to cultivate self-compassion, anything you can do to calm your nervous system will help you ground yourself so you can find space in your mind and heart to accept yourself as you are right now radically. Self-compassion is the opposite of self-criticism. It’s hard to criticize yourself when you feel calm and at peace.
#4. Sow Self-Compassion at the Swan Woods Trail at the Atlanta History Center in Georgia
The Atlanta History Center is a must-see destination for history buffs and nature lovers alike. Filled with fascinating information on the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other award-winning exhibits, the center is home to 33 acres of gardens, historic houses, and the Swan Woods Trail. Winding through pine, oak, and hickory trees, the Swan Woods Trail takes you by the Garden for Peace and a former cotton field. Connect with past tragedy, past triumphs, and present surroundings in this serene location. We can sow self-compassion when we learn about others’ suffering. We then feel compassion for them, which makes it easier to cultivate self-compassion.
#5. Pursue Self-Compassion at Piedmont Park in Atlanta
A picturesque spot that shows a great view of midtown Atlanta, Piedmont Park is a peaceful place to center yourself amid a hectic day. Meander the paths or bring a picnic as you enjoy the trees’ fall colors.. There are festivities throughout the month of December and the rest of the year. Its history is an integral part of Atlanta. Sometimes it isn’t easy to find self-compassion amidst our pressure-filled days. We’re hyper-focused on our performance, which is part of being high-achieving individuals. It’s important to leave room for self-compassion. Pursuing self-compassion helps our success because it lets us calm down our nervous systems to the point at which we can think more clearly and be more efficient and effective. Taking a break in the middle of the workday and going to Piedmont Park, even for 30 minutes, slows down our minds and shifts our perspectives so we can be kind to ourselves when we make mistakes—which we will because we’re human.
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*The ELITE BINGE EATING RECOVERY METHOD is virtual binge eating education and coaching support. This program aims to help people stop any distressed eating, such as binge eating or binge/purge behaviors via education, behavioral changes, and mindset shifts. The ELITE BINGE EATING RECOVERY METHOD is not a clinical eating disorder therapy or eating disorder treatment program and is not intended to serve as such. In them, Dr. Marianne Miller works as a binge-eating coach, not as a binge-eating therapist.