Be kind to yourself when you eat, exercise, work, think, speak, feel and everything else.
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5 simple ways to be kind to yourself
If you want to be happy, you need be kind to your body, gentle with your mind, loving with your words and compassionate to yourself.
Today I would like to remind you to be kind to yourself in all the choices you make daily.
“Remember you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” – Louise L Hay
Be kind to yourself by being mindful of negative self-talk
“Talk to yourself like someone you love.”
Be careful what you say to yourself because words have the power to inspire you or hurt you. You wouldn’t talk to your best friend the way you talk to yourself because if you did, you wouldn’t have a best friend anymore.
Whatever you say to yourself, your mind listens to carefully, believes and responds to it. If you have negative thoughts like “I’m fat, I don’t like my body. I’m so unlucky. I always screw things up. I’m not good at this. I’m a failure” then your mind will search for obstacles to prove it to you.
Think about the words you use to tell yourself (about yourself). Catch yourself saying “I’m trying to … I wish … I hope … (do something)” Switch it to “I’m going to do this, I will do it, or I do whatever it takes to accomplish it.” Use strong, firm, and powerful words to inspire, encourage and cheerlead yourself.
What I like to do is to write my negative self-talk on one side of the page, and then change each phrase into a positive statement. When I read it to myself, I feel so nurtured.
Tell yourself how wonderful you are. You will feel the difference in your body, mind, and spirit when you do this. Make an agreement with yourself to use only words to express love, compassion and acceptance to yourself.
Bring gratitude to the present moment every single day because they are so many things we take for granted.
Be kind to yourself even on your bad days
When you feel sad, worried, frustrated, take this opportunity to practice kindness to yourself.
You’re having a bad day and that’s not enough, so you go ahead and beat yourself up on top of it. You criticize yourself instead of giving yourself love and support you need. One bad day doesn’t mean you have a terrible life, or you are a terrible person.
Welcome all kinds of days and you being part of them. They all will pass. See if you can give yourself a high five for how far you’ve come, pat yourself on the back for doing your best, and be your own best friend. You will be proud for showing up for yourself on those unpleasant days. Let go of any judgments, criticism, blame and effort of being perfect. Make an effort to be kind to yourself instead.
When I’m having a hard day, I always remind myself that there are so many things in my life I can be grateful for. I make a list of all the things I’m grateful for. Gratitude nurtures positive feelings and emotions.
Be kind to yourself when you eat
Eating in a rush, stress eating, overeating or undereating are not heathy habits. In one meal you stuff yourself then you feel bad, so you skip a meal. Being on a diet, you’re telling your body that it’s not loveable the way it is, it needs to be fixed.
Be grateful for your body, for everything that is doing for you every day by eating mindfully, loving the foods that love you back, and developing healthy eating habits.
Your body is your home so make sure you feel good, comfortable, and supported there.
Be kind to yourself when you work
You need to urinate, but you wait until a more convenient time or until you just can’t wait any longer. I used to do this all the time. But I decided to be kinder to myself, so I go to toilet when I feel the urge to. I get up and go. I don’t hold anymore my pee. Whatever I’m doing it can wait.
Or do you keep pushing yourself to do more until you collapse at the end of the day?
Allow yourself to rest when you are fatigued, to take regular breaks to breathe consciously and set boundaries to protect your time and energy.
Be kind to yourself when you exercise
Regular physical activity is very important for your health. Honour your physical needs by listening to your body and giving it a right dose of movement.
Any exercise should make you feel energized, clear-headed and fit. There are different types of exercise and each of them has different benefits. Try to choose a variety when you are creating your weekly routine. Your body likes cardio like hiking, running or biking, strength training with some light weights or resistance bands, stretching after or before a long day at work, and mind-body activity like yoga, pilates, tai chi to stay in optimal health.
Feeling guilty when unable to exercise, exercising when feeling really fatigued or sick, caring only about the calories you burn exercising are some of the signs that you are not listening to your body.
Set an intention at the beginning of each day to be kind to yourself ❣️
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