15 Ways to Be Kinder to Yourself

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In a world that tends to focus more on the negativity in people and their experiences, it is no surprise that people have started to view themselves in a somewhat negative light. People have become so critical towards one another that it is forcing us to become overly critical on ourselves. Which, let’s be honest, isn’t fair. The world has taken this turn into making people feel the need to be so harsh and protective over themselves. It has come to the point that we forget what it’s like to be genuinely kind to other people, and most importantly ourselves. Being kind to ourselves can be so overlooked which is so sad because we forget how important it is to do. People most of the time do not even think twice about it. Well it is time to set it straight and get back on track into being the kindhearted people that we were brought on this Earth to be. These 15 points will hopefully help anyone who is looking to make a change in the way that certain situations are handled and most importantly how to put yourself first and to be genuinely kinder to yourself. Follow these tips and you’re on your way to making yourself a happier and kinder person.

Constantly remind yourself of the good qualities that you know you have.

Sometimes we have this tendency to only focus on the negative. Whether it is in reference to ourselves, others, or certain situations, it’s safe to say that it just happens sometimes, the negatives just stick out. That’s normal everyone does it but maybe it’s time to alter that mindset. For instance when talking about ourselves, rather than looking at yourself “Why aren’t you like this?” “Why don’t you act like that?” Look at yourself and think “I’m special because…” or “I’m different because…” and finish it off with “...and I like that about myself.” Having pride sometimes has the conceded stigma attached to it. The difference with this point is that you are simply realizing your potential for yourself. This isn’t to go out and brag about how great you are; these are just personal reminders of great you know you are for you. You have to become conscious of your great qualities so others will be able to eventually notice them.

Be aware of the foods that you’re putting into your body.

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Eating food that doesn’t make you feel slow and weigh you down is automatically going to make you feel better. You want to eat food that gives you energy and keeps you upbeat, not food that makes you want to crawl up on the couch and sit there for the rest of the day. This is another one of those simple steps that can so easily be brought into play in your everyday life. The next time you go grocery shopping pick up a few fresh vegetables and fruits. Adding some power food in to your everyday diet is not only going to help you in the present but also in the long run. Ensuring yourself that you are going to be healthy down the road is one of the kindest things that you can do for yourself. Nourishing your body with food that isn’t going to do anything for you except make you feel better about yourself is going to encourage you do so much more on this endeavor of being kind to yourself.

Get some exercise in.

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Whether it’s finishing a rigorous workout or just walking around your neighborhood. You’re getting up, being active, and your body is releasing endorphins. Endorphins make you happy and who doesn’t want to be happy? Also, putting exercise in to your weekly schedule is automatically going to give you a couple of things. First, it’s going to provide a sense of accomplishment. Second, it is going to provide the concept of a body positive image which means more confidence. Being confident in yourself is another one of those super kind acts that you almost owe yourself. Along with eating healthier food, exercise is going to help with that long term self. You are going to have more energy and your mobility is going to be better down the road. Having a healthy body and lifestyle is such a kind thing to do for you and it’s not that hard. You might even be able to find a friend that is looking to be kinder to themselves and wants to be healthy with you.

Forgive yourself.

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This is important. Stop blaming yourself for that incident that happened that one time. Let it go. Once you forgive yourself and let it go you’ll be able to focus on things that are important in that moment. You don’t need these constant reminders of times when you didn’t do something the way you were supposed to. Things happen, life isn’t perfect, just forgive and forget. It is so easy for us to hold things over our own heads because we are one of our biggest critics. You just have to remember that things are not always meant to work out the way that you intend; that’s life. Just take that particular situation, learn from it, and then forgive yourself. Easier said than done, but at least work at forgiving yourself. Eventually in time you will be able to fully say that I messed up and that is okay because I forgive myself.

Respect yourself.

You are worth something and it can’t even be put into words how important it is to treat yourself with the utmost respect. If you don’t treat yourself with respect then how do you expect for others to treat you? Respecting yourself can have a wide variety of possibilities. The most important thing to remember is to just hold yourself to a certain standard and everything will work itself out. Do not let yourself stoop to a lower level because you don’t think that you are worth it. You are worth it and you deserve to be treated right. Everyone does, if someone decides that they don’t want to treat you with a certain level of respect still remember to treat them with the same amount of respect that you would hope to be treated with. It may not seem like it but by respecting others the way that you want to be respected is a way to respect yourself. You are holding yourself to that higher standard of even though the other person is not being the most descent person you’re not allowing yourself to lower who you are to match their level.

Give yourself recognition.

You are your biggest supporter and when you do something well or you’re just straight up impressed with yourself give yourself credit where it’s due. Give yourself a pat on the back when it’s needed because you can’t always rely on other people to give you that encouragement. Odds are you are a pretty great person. Recognize that. Odds are you have done some notable things in your time. Recognize that. You have probably done something that you would have never thought you could have ever done. Recognize it. Everyone deserves a little praise every once in a while. There is no harm if that praise that you are receiving is coming from you. We as humans are capable of some incredible things but other people are not always there to back you up. Just take the things that you have completed and classify as impressive in your own eyes and be proud that you did them. If someone else recognizes your accomplishment then great, but if they don’t at least you know that you are recognizing your abilities.

Believe in yourself and what you are capable of doing.

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Confidence is key. It’s such a cliché but it is extremely accurate. If you believe that you can do something odds are that the outcome is going to be more satisfactory than had you have gone in with doubting yourself. Sometimes we don’t give ourselves enough credit. People are incredible and are capable of so much. It’s only those that believe in themselves that are able to accomplish these great things. You can’t expect others to believe in you to do this great big task and succeed without the support from yourself. It isn’t going to work like that. If you are not believing in yourself and backing yourself up then what is the point? Just take a minute and think about the things that you know that you’re capable of and from there back yourself up. Remind yourself that you are confident and that you believe in yourself and you can do anything.

Stop trying to be something you’re not.

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You were made to be who you are and that’s special. You are the only you. No one else in this huge world of over seven billion people was designed to act, think, or look like you. Don’t pretend to be something you are not solely based off of the standards that society sets. It’s not up to them to decipher what is right and wrong in reference to you as a person. That’s your own idea. The best part about it is that there still might be qualities that you don’t even realize that you have yet. You may have qualities that someone else may think are completely extraordinary. Just don’t be so quick to try and alter who you are because who you are is singular and that is what makes you unique. People will try and go there whole lives trying to meet the needs of others by altering themselves because they want to fit that other individuals needs. That’s exhausting. You know who you are and who you are meant to be so go with that; you’ll be so much happier you did.

Accept yourself for who you are.

Piggy-backing off of the last point, accepting who you are is a big part of genuinely being kind to yourself. If you are not able to accept who you are now then you’re going to face issues with yourself down the road. Be okay with person that you were created to be because odds are they are really great. Along with that, if you are not able to accept yourself, how do you expect for other people to accept you? Taking this step is one of the major ones especially because it may not be the easiest. Sometimes it is hard to be okay with some of your qualities because of what is set by society as what is acceptable and what is not. Just make sure to remind yourself when trying to accomplish this step that who you are is who you are and you are so special in so many ways. You will never be fully satisfied in life until you are able to completely accept who you are.

Remind yourself that you deserve to be happy.

It’s a basic right. If there is anything in this world that anyone deserves; it’s to be happy. It’s simple but so effective. Reminding yourself that you deserve to be happy will help keep any negative thoughts away. People are quick to put their happiness and their feelings over top of yours. That’s not a bad thing until your happiness is being affected. It is just important to make sure that no one is making you feel like your happiness isn’t important. Just having that saying of “Be Happy” constantly being in your head can make a huge impact on your mindset. People are quick to drag you down because misery loves company but don’t let other people dictate when you can and cannot be happy. Life is so precious and you should not spend your time constantly being upset or angry. Just let things go and be the light.

Become your biggest supporter.

Don’t count on others to be there to support you on everything because they may have a different opinion or just when you are expecting for them to be there they are not. If you think that whatever it is that you want to do is worth it based on only your opinion then stick to it. Nine times out of ten you know what is right and wrong. You are realistically the only supporter you need. Plus, you shouldn’t be so dependent on others to constantly be there. In the end you are the only person that has the best intentions for you. You cannot always expect for others to always be there. You just need to make sure that you are boosting yourself up when you need it. It’s not that you should never rely on others; it’s just a good reminder to know that you are always there for yourself when others aren’t.

Take more risks.

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This is another easy task that can make a world’s difference once it’s put into play. Stop being so scared of outcomes and things not working out exactly how you want it to. We weren’t put on this Earth to play it safe all the time. Be courageous and do things that somewhat intimidate you. The experience that you’ll get out of it will be much more worthwhile. Saying “yes” to things that you would normally immediately deny is kind of an invigorating experience all on its own. You are stepping out of that premade box that you have had for so long that you don’t even remember why it is the way it is. Life is too short to constantly wonder “what if”, it is better to experience and be able to determine your own opinion on something. You never know what taking those risks could entail the outcome may not work out but that’s okay because it’s a lesson learned. The other great thing is that the outcome may be so worthwhile but you’ll never know until you go and do.

Release yourself from people who have a trend of letting you down.

This is a hard task to follow through with but sometimes it’s just what needs to happen. Surrounding yourself with constant negativity isn’t healthy. If you’re looking to make an impact on your life then distance yourself from the people who just don’t seem to have anything positive to say. It’s not necessary to completely cut these people off and just leave them hanging. It is just essential for your well being to realize that some people just have a tendency of bringing you down and it is okay to put a little bit of space between you and them. It is not fair to you to constantly have to put up with their negativity. You deserve to be treated the way that you treat others. So if someone has a trend of putting you down and acting out negatively towards than you then they don’t deserve your time and effort.

Practice compassion.

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This point doesn’t seem like it’s a way to lead you into being kinder to yourself but it is. Compassion is one of those traits nowadays that is constantly being looked over or forgotten. To be compassionate to someone or even with yourself allows you to get in touch with your and their emotions. Also, the more likely you’re willing to show compassion to someone else the more likely they will be willing to show compassion to you and sometimes that’s all you need when you’re down; is just to know that someone is there. Compassion may even need to be reintroduced to someone because it is one of those traits that some people just do not use enough. People are not quick to show compassion anymore because of the fact that it does allow people to get in touch with their emotions and that absolutely terrifies some people. People have had to use this defense mechanism to hide their feelings but if you can take the step into opening up just a little bit, you’ll realize that others will start to do the same.

Put all of these points into action as soon as possible.

The sooner, the better, right? As soon as you start working these points into your life the quicker you will realize that it’s not hard to be kind to yourself. These points are small changes but can make a big impact. Eventually, they will just form into habits and you won’t even realize that you’re doing it. Along with putting these points into play as soon as you can, the sooner you will be able to share these new changes with others. Hopefully by sharing these points with others we will be able to see a little change in the positivity within our groups that we surround ourselves with. All of these changes are minor and once you apply these at least once into your life you will notice a huge change in your attitude and outlook. It’s refreshing to know that you have your own ability to fully change your outlook and even help others to see that they might want to change theirs too.