One of the best ways to take care of yourself is to show yourself kindness. It might seem strange, but you are the best person for the job as you understand yourself better than anyone else.
Here are five ways for you to show yourself kindness:
Forgive Yourself
There will be a lot of people in your life who will hold you to some high standards. What we often don’t realize is that we ourselves have some incredibly high expectations.
When you make a mistake, it is easy to beat yourself up over it, agonizing over your mess up while you should be sleeping at night.
It is alright to be down on yourself when you mess up, but don’t forget to forgive yourself. You are going to make a lot of mistakes. That’s just a fact of life.
It's not helpful to mentally run yourself over because of it. Instead, work on forgiving yourself and moving on after you make a mistake.
You’ll find that this method will help you to do better in the future and is one of the greatest kindnesses that you can show yourself.
Take Care of Yourself
You are the only person who is keeping track of what you eat, how much water you drink, if you are getting enough sleep, and when the last time you showered was. You need to take care of yourself.
Unless you are disabled to the point of having someone help take care of you, you are the only person who is going to do it.
It can be easy to get caught up in the busyness of life, working past your lunch, leaving the office late, and not using all your vacation time.
Don’t let your own self-care fall to the wayside. No one else is going to be able to look after you as well as you can for yourself. Use that ability and show yourself some kindness.
Designate ‘Me’ Time
It is important to give yourself built-in time to do whatever makes you happy.
This could be taking a bubble bath or reading a good book. Playing a game or binging on a television show.
Giving yourself some time to relax and a break from worrying about all the serious things, can help you to feel refreshed and ready to go again.
Be kind to yourself and give yourself time to do what you enjoy.
You’ll spend a lot of your life doing things for others, make sure you leave some time for yourself too.
Stand Up for Yourself
Standing up for yourself can be hard. Too many of us turn into doormats because we don’t want to upset the other person or we think that maybe they are right.
It is all too easy to let a mean comment or action be excused by just ignoring it. But you need to stand up for yourself.
People shouldn’t have an easy time being mean to you. Protect yourself and look out for your own best interests. And when someone starts to put you down, stand up for yourself.
That is one of the kindest things you can do for yourself.
Believe In Yourself
There will be a whole lot of people in this world who don’t believe in you. People who actively try to ruin what you are doing or discourage you from continuing.
While there are those rare individuals who will believe in you, they will not always be around and there will not be as many of them.
Be kind to yourself and automatically give yourself someone who is on your team. Believe in yourself and cheer yourself on. Having that attitude can be one of the kindest things that you can do for yourself.
