Daily Ways To Be Kind To Yourself

Be kind to yourself. Is that something you practice daily? We value being kind to others, but rarely think about it in terms of ourselves.

It’s so easy for us to focus on our imperfections, our mistakes, and shortcomings. We set standards, rules and expectations for ourselves that are incredibly difficult to meet. Then we tell ourselves there must be something “wrong” with us for not living up to who we think we “should” be.

I recently went through this experience. I started to notice how mean my self-talk and thoughts had become because I didn’t reach a goal I wanted to achieve by a specific deadline. I felt like I had let myself down and started to become very critical, and unforgiving of myself.

Before I realized it, I felt less than, unworthy and stressed. I wasn’t taking care of myself and sabotaging my own success. I would never treat someone I loved and cared about the way I was treating myself, so why was I treating myself that way? To be honest, it was just a default behavior.

Self-compassion, self-kindness and self-love is an important part of the journey that I guide my clients through. Yet, I was not practicing it myself. I had gotten derailed from my own path. I love how I’m always spiritually led to teach or write about what I need to remember and practice most!

Self-kindness is about caring and embracing ourselves for who we really are: emotionally, physically, spiritually, and mentally. It’s about being honest with what we really need in our lives and creating that. It’s about showing ourselves love, acceptance, forgiveness, and patience regardless of our mistakes and imperfections. It’s about understanding and being gentle towards ourselves in our thoughts, feelings, actions, and behaviors. It’s about progress not perfection and giving our selves permission to be human.

Here are 7 ways to be kind to yourself daily.

Happiness begins with treating ourselves with love, kindness and respect. Try one of these practices for at least a week and see what happens.

Idea # 1: Begin your day with self-affirmations.

Create a list of the things you love about yourself. Think about who you are at your core. Begin each day by acknowledging five positive qualities about yourself that make you feel happy and proud. Write statements using messages that uplift and motivate you. Keep them in your phone or on a note card to refer to them when you need a boost. Become your own cheerleader and remind yourself of your value.

Idea # 2: Acknowledge and celebrate your victories and achievements.

Acknowledge your accomplishments, big or small. This an important step towards seeing yourself in a more loving and positive way. Congratulate yourself daily for all that you do and celebrate how far you’ve already come. Think “Progress over Perfection.” When you can appreciate the little steps, you take towards reaching your goals, you’ll feel more grateful and appreciative of who you are.

Idea # 3: Forgive yourself and remember that you’re human.

You will make mistakes, let yourself down and be less than your best at times. We all do because we’re human. In those moments, close your eyes and imagine you’re talking to someone you love dearly. Think about how you’d comfort them, encourage them to get back on the right track and forgive them. Then do the same for yourself. This will help you love yourself as you love others.

Idea # 4: Accept the things you cannot change.

Sometimes you need to accept things as they are for today. Stop putting your time, energy and focus on the things that are not within your control; the things you can’t change. Let go and let God. Give yourself a break from “trying” to make it happen. Wait it out. Take a breather and surrender. Sometimes you need to trust that the doors will open when the time is right to take you where you’re meant to go.

Idea # 5: Allow Yourself to Feel What You’re Feeling.

Sometimes you’ll feel really “bad” about yourself or your life. It’s okay. Let yourself feel all your emotions. Don’t fight it because “what you resist, persists.” So, don’t resist.  Write a letter to the part you that you want to change. Brain dump whatever comes to your mind. This will give you more self-compassion and understanding for yourself, so you can heal and move forward in your right time.

Idea # 6: Be patient with yourself.

Whether you’re learning something new, overcoming a challenge, having to begin again or trying to bring a dream to life; some days you’re better at “it” than others. Some days you’re stronger, more focused and more motivated. Some days the path is straight and flowing and easy. And other days it’s not. Staying patient with yourself will bring you more peace and gratitude along your journey.

Idea # 7: Embrace and honor YOU.

Think about the things you need in your life to thrive and really feel alive. It may be self-care. It may be time to be creative. It may be healthy relationships with people you love. It may be creating a business of your own. It may be discovering and living your unique purpose. Whatever it is, honor yourself and what makes you YOU. Start to bring those things to life and give yourself permission to thrive.  No apologies necessary!

Why is it so important to be kind to yourself?

Being kind to yourself is a way to show yourself that you matter. It’s an action that “says” I love you, you’re worth it, you’re valuable and it’s great to be You. It develops self-trust and inner strength. It dissolves negativity and diffuses the power of the limiting beliefs that often keep us stuck. It gives us a sense of emotional balance, well-being and inner peace.

Self-kindness allows us to recognize blessings and see progress and growth, instead of flaws and mistakes. Taking the time to be kind to yourself fills you up to not only serve yourself, but others as well. It makes your life happier.

These little acts of kindness add up. When you are kind to yourself consistently, you’ll notice that your self-esteem improves too. You’ll begin to feel loved and cared for regardless of your circumstances.

YOUR TURN……….

Make a commitment to yourself to try at least one of the suggestions above; or another act of self-kindness for at least a week. This is about showing love to You. Take some time to pray, meditate and tap into what that would look like for you.

How will you be kind to yourself this week? If you are feeling brave enough to share I’d love to hear it. Comment below and inspire others to make time to be kind to themselves too.

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Remember, you were made to thrive,

Eleni

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