Give yourself some credit for a change.
So much of the time we are so focused on taking care of the people we love, our children, our animals and other things in our lives that we forget to take a moment and give ourselves some credit for all that we do and all that we are.
So often it’s almost a habit to distract from ourselves when another person pays us a compliment — almost as if we don’t deserve one; that we do what we do, and that’s just the way it is.
Allow yourself to accept a compliment gracefully. Remember, the person giving it also needs to be received by you. It’s their way of expressing appreciation. Just think how painful it might be if with a wave of your hand you blow their desire to praise you away. Perhaps just say thank you. Allow yourself to feel good.
A little harder but nonetheless important is the cultivation of the voice inside your head that gives yourself praise.
So many of us have an internal voice that runs us ragged, going on about how we just don’t make the grade, how we always need one more thing to make us worthy — the bar just seems to get higher and higher; the brass ring farther and farther away.
Try challenging yourself each and every day to give yourself a loving thought, a reassuring thought, a compassionate thought about something you noticed yourself do or how you treated another person. When you are frustrated or depressed during the day, remind yourself you are doing the best you can, you have worth, that some days are better than others. Tell yourself that it’s OK.
Life can be hard and challenging.
Research shows that being more compassionate and reassuring with yourself every day not only improves your immune system but can also help your overall general sense of well being.
Give it a try. You deserve it. The people you love and care about deserve it. And in the end, it will benefit you in all walks of your life. What do you have to lose?
Photo: Tosaporn Boonyarangkul