Be kind to yourself
With all the craziness in the world these days, it isn’t uncommon to see yard signs or bulletin boards or articles on being kind to others. It’s kind of sad isn’t it that we have to be reminded to be kind? I do love the message and believe that kindness makes a difference. Can you imagine a world where EVERYONE was kind to each other?? Where we encouraged, forgave, comforted and tried to understand each other? We would develop a much deeper understanding of mankind and see each other as human beings. We would learn more about our similarities and not have a need to recognize only our differences. Overall, I believe everyone would be happier.
While it is very important that we are kind to others, I think it is equally as important that we are kind to ourselves. There are a lot of pressures, challenges and hateful people in life, so none of us need one more source of negativity. Yet I find that I am always the first person to criticize, belittle, or doubt myself. Bottom line is, I can be not very kind to me.
While I have often wondered where that need to be hard on myself comes from, I began to wonder where I could go if I started being kind to myself instead. What if I actually practiced kindness by accepting my imperfections, in fact, actually giving myself permission to make mistakes? What if instead of always having high expectations of myself regardless of the job, activity, or engagement, I actually adjusted those expectations to be more realistic? The reality is nobody performs at the highest level on everything they do! What if, next time I’m feeling bad about how I look, I actually say to myself “Its ok, you are beautiful anyway!” Next time I am feeling hurt or frustrated, what if I just allow myself to feel whatever it is I feel, and not judge myself as being overly dramatic or overly sensitive? I should tell myself I deserve to feel however I am feeling, because that is the truth!
Well, I haven’t completely stopped beating myself up, but I have worked very hard on being kinder to me. It feels amazing! It is freeing, and after awhile, I stopped having to remind myself to be nice. When I just make the effort to be more kind to myself, I am happier. Hopefully my happiness will begin to rub off on others. Being kind to yourself is a good example to set for your children or others around you. From now on, whenever you see a sign or post that says “Be Kind” remember that doesn’t just mean to others - it also means to you!