How to treat yourself with kindness
Let go of negative thought patterns and beliefs about yourself. Negative thoughts often come from outside people whose opinions we value and from whom we seek love and acceptance. For example, if you forgot to buy litter bags when you got groceries, you might say to yourself, “Ugh!
Accept your shortcomings as part of who you are. Everything you’ve done and everywhere you’ve been is a part of who you are.
Practice gratitude for good things rather than focusing on the negative. It’s human nature to see negative things as bigger and more important than positive things, but this also does great damage to your self-esteem. When you find yourself focusing on negative events in your life, immediately try to name 3 to 5 things that you can be grateful for.
Speak kindly to yourself. For example, if you lose your job, you might think “I’m such a failure.
A.I’m so stupid! |
B.I’m careless and awkward. |
C.I’ll never amount to anything. |
D.Self-love isn’t about fixing all the “bad” things about yourself. |
E.Try to come up with just one thing each week to add to the list. |
F.Look for the positive side even when bad things happen to you. |
G.Focus on your effort rather than the result to control perfectionism. |