Being Kind to Yourself and Others – Both are Important Day 5
Today on day 5 we are focusing on being kind to yourself. I hope you have enjoyed day 1-4 so far.
We’ve focused our posts so far on being kind to others. Being generous with loved ones and the people in our lives can truly do a lot for our own mindset. It can also benefit our health, as I talked about in yesterday’s blog post. Expressing gentleness and good will toward yourself can be more difficult than sharing these gifts with those around you. We often neglect to do positive things for ourselves or take care of our physical and emotional well-being. However, it’s important to remember how doing so can improve your life. Keep reading to see what I mean.
About Being Kind to Yourself
Self-kindness is truly one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. We’re so often taught that it’s selfish to focus on our own needs. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Caring for ourselves is necessary if we want to have enough energy left to give to anyone else. Self-kindness goes beyond self-care. It involves forgiving yourself and being generous with yourself. Being kind to yourself is made up of all the same types of acts you would show to someone else. It really is beneficial to stop and think, “Would I treat someone else this way?” If the answer is no, then remind yourself that you deserve similar kindness.
Why it Matters
Being kind to yourself matters for so many reasons. When you neglect your own needs and treat yourself with harsh judgment, you’re creating emotions inside yourself that are very similar to those that would manifest in someone else you were to treat poorly. Just as a neglected or ridiculed child would build a sense of poor self-worth, resentment, and anger, so do you when you don’t show yourself generosity. You begin to wear yourself down.
What Self-Kindness Brings
Instead, self-kindness renews your soul and your overall well-being. Learning to be more compassionate with yourself leads to feeling better in so many aspects. It can lessen depression and anxiety. It teaches you what you need to feel confident and provides you with the necessary coping skills and resilience to handle life’s obstacles more successfully. Having mercy on yourself gives you the energy and ability to be there for others without feelings of resentment and overwhelm. When you’re more charitable with yourself, it lets you be more successful in meeting your goals because you feel encouraged to try, rather than defeated or critical. The messages we give ourselves really do matter.
As you can see, being kind to yourself is just as important as being kind to others. It may even be more critical because doing so gives you the strength you need in order to freely care for others. Depleting your own spirit isn’t beneficial for anyone.
- Compassionate Self-Talk: Replacing harsh inner criticism with understanding and encouragement. This includes using gentle language, such as asking, “What do I need right now?” or saying, “I am allowed to make mistakes”.
- Physical Self-Care/Comfort: Taking care of your body to soothe emotional distress. This includes resting, eating nutritiously, gentle exercise, or physical gestures like placing a hand over your heart.
- Emotional Validation & Acceptance: Allowing yourself to feel emotions (even negative ones) without judgment or pushing them away. This involves acknowledging pain as part of the human experience rather than a personal failure.
- Setting Boundaries: Protecting your energy by saying “no” to requests that overwhelm you and prioritizing your own needs.
- Mindfulness: Being aware of your present-moment suffering in a balanced, non-judgmental way, rather than ruminating on or over-identifying with the pain.
- Forgiveness: Letting go of self-blame and accepting that you are imperfect.
- “Self-Compassion Break”: Stopping when stressed to acknowledge the pain, remind yourself that you are not alone (common humanity), and offer yourself comfort. (from Google)
