Be kind to Yourself

Be kind to yourself.
Think positive thoughts about yourself.

Simple advice, but it’s hard to execute. Why is that?

Shame, guilt, worry, fear, disappointment, judgement and criticism get in the way. You’ve learned how to manage these things to protect yourself. Even if it’s in an unhealthy way.
It’s not easy to change a behaviour you’ve had for years. Negative thinking about yourself develops over time. You can’t simply turn off your thoughts the way you can turn off the television. Or can you...

Becoming aware of the inner conversation you have about yourself can be eye opening.

Do you have positive thoughts about yourself? Or do you have negative thoughts about yourself?

Words you would never say to a family member or friend because they are mean and hurtful.

Would you ever tell someone they’re fat?

Would you ever tell someone they’re ugly?  

Would you ever tell someone they’re stupid?

Would you ever tell someone they’re worthless?

Take a moment a think about why your self talk is so different than a conversation you would have with someone else.

Maybe you’ve never noticed most thoughts you have about yourself are unkind or negative.  

Would your life be different if you had different thoughts?

Give it a try. Pretend you are talking to someone else and think the thoughts you would tell them. Change your self talk to be more positive.

When you make a mistake, think what you’d tell a friend, such as “we all make mistakes, it’ll be okay”.

When you raise your voice to your children think, “I’m frustrated, I got upset. I’ll take a deep breath before I speak next time I’m frustrated to help stay calm”.

When you see your reflection in the mirror find something you like and compliment yourself, such as “I like my smile”.

We’d say these things to other people, so why not say them to ourselves too.
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Be kind to yourself. Think positive thoughts about yourself.