We are living in very high transitional times right now. There are a lot of things going on in the world, and some of them not so great. Believe me when I say there is enough happening on the outside, that you should have more grace with what is going on internally. Be kind to yourself and show yourself some mercy when things don’t go exactly as planned.
Ways to be kind to yourself.
Self-care
I stand by having a self-care day and all of what that entails for you.
Though, self-care is more than just creating routines and going to the gym, or getting a mani-pedi; if that’s your jam definitely keep doing it! I’m with y’all. On top of all of that, some of the tough inner work still has to be done, if you want the feeling to last well past your designated self-care day.
Forgive yourself.
Forgive yourself for the mistakes you’ve made in the past and the guilt you feel over those things. You have power over your mind and whatever you think, is what will be.
“Be careful what you say about yourself, because you are listening.” -unknown. What you say about yourself matters, how you feel about yourself matters, forgiving yourself MATTERS.
Remind yourself of how far you have come.
Are you guys familiar with Facebook memories? They show you posts and pictures from your past in random order. Do you ever look at those posts and wonder “what was I thinking?!” *Raises my hand in embarrassment*, and then in the next breath you think of how much you have grown?! That is life, man.
Remember that things have been, and still could be much worse. Take any small or big moment in which you have grown from and show yourself some grace for how far you have come. Don’t wait for someone else to acknowledge your growth. Look yourself in the mirror and tell yourself how great you are!
Why is being kind to yourself important?
I know for me personally; I have a really hard time forgiving people. I can surface level forgive, but the deep feelings are tougher to lay hold of. All that does is potentially damage the relationship, if you are not able to self-assess the situation and really try to figure out what the underlying issues are. Most of the time your inability to forgive has far more to do with yourself than it has to do with anyone else.
So, what am I saying? The relationship you have with yourself is one of the most important relationships you will ever have. We are not speaking about vanity, rather a relationship in which you can whole heartedly say that you love yourself. Just as you have the ability to damage your relationship with another person, you can also damage the connection you have with yourself.
I want you to practice being more kind to yourself. You are no longer going to have guilt over past mistakes. You are no longer going to beat yourself up for things you have no control over.
You owe it to yourself to release those things that you are holding on to. Don’t get so caught up in trying to be perfect; I can tell you, from my experience, when you don’t meet the mark (of perfection) it can leave you feeling down and depressed.
Be bold in your love for yourself. Be so kind to yourself that you exude it. From there you can set a trend that self-care is not just a fad. The more you care for yourself, the more kindness you show for yourself, the more you grow from the inside out, is the more you can show others how to be just as bold as you. You are HEALING.