The Importance of Being Kind to Yourself
Being kind to ourselves may seem like a simple or unimportant thing to practice, but the more I work with people the more I realise just how many of us aren’t… I have also witnessed how people instantly benefit from being kinder to themselves.
Ask yourself, would you be as unsupportive or critical towards a good friend?!
Self love & self care
If you exercise self compassion, you will have more to give others – the people around you will sense you are happier in yourself, and you will lift their energy as well as your own.
Always being there for yourself
You can give yourself the love and support you need. Not everyone can always be there for you at the very moment you need them – but the good news is that you can always be there for yourself. You are at the centre of your world.
There is no-one who knows you better than you do, therefore you are the best person to give yourself exactly what you need, exactly when you need it!
Positive self talk
Noticing when you are being mean to yourself with a thought like’ I’m rubbish at this’ and substituting it with a positive statement like, ‘I am getting better at this’, over time, can change your negative thought patterns and behaviour associated with it.
This makes a big difference to how you feel about yourself, as well as improving the way you do things (and you’ll probably be doing them in a shorter space of time!).
Making time for yourself
Often we have more time for others and forget we need time for ourselves to recuperate.
Take the pressure off
Being kind to yourself could mean taking time to do the things you love, planning a day trip, or taking the afternoon off work and curling up with a book for a couple of hours. In fact anything that floats your boat ~ be creative!
Maybe you like climbing trees or visiting a place that’s special to you.
Nurture yourself by taking time to fully relax and have fun. How about simply running a hot bath and filling the water with your favourite scent or an essential oil? Light some candles, get in and enjoy…
Try being kinder to yourself and notice the results – remember, you don’t have to become it straight away – it’s about practising the new ways it until they become a positive and automatic habit.
Tabitha