Many of us would probably be arrested for treating our friends and family the way we treat ourselves. Think of all the negative self talk, criticism, the emotional and physical abuse we do to our minds, heart and body. Have you ever looked in the mirror and told yourself “I love you”? It sounds crazy right? Well you’d be surprised, it’s not that easy to do, but it can be. It takes about 9 days to create a new habit and about 21 days to break one. This is not exact, but hopefully you get the idea. We can’t just do something for two days and say, I tried it didn’t work. Well, you can certainly tell yourself that however it’s not the truth!
1st way is self affirmations. Look into any mirror daily and tell yourself. I love you, I am good enough. 3 times per day or the very least when you brush your teeth.
2nd be kind to yourself. Be aware of your self talk. When you notice a change in emotion, what are you telling yourself? How true is it? Rephrase to a positive, kind and loving thought that you would tell a loved one.
3rd do something for you everyday What do you love? Do you enjoy reading, meditating, nature, music, water or animals? Allow yourself time everyday even for only 10 minutes to really enjoy and be present just being, while experiencing something you love.
4th is movement. Our bodies are meant to move everyday. Do you like to walk, hike, run or bike or dance. Play a sport, lift weights, a home workout or a class at the gym? Brainstorm on what is right for you.
5th We’ve all heard we are what we eat. What is 1 change you can make in your eating habits to get more nutrition from you eat? Not sure..you can write down and create a log to see what you’re eating and then decide 1 thing you can change daily. What is a weakness and what can you replace it with?
It took time to have our choices become habits and addictions. it takes time to make changes, so be patient. Most importantly, it takes consistance. Everthing we do is a choice, they become unconscious actions that lead to rituals, habits and addictions. When we record our actions they become conscious choices and we create new healthy habits by choice. Choices to love ourselves.