When it comes to self-care, we all know that it’s easy to put ourselves on the bottom of our priority list. Showing ourselves care and compassion may even feel like a foreign concept to some. However, it’s so important to keep in mind the little ways to show yourself compassion because at the end of the day, you matter as much as anyone else in your life. You need to prioritize your health and well-being in order to function. Here are five simple ways that you can show self-compassion this month.
Transform your mindset.
Sadly, it’s often challenging to lift yourself up, especially if you’re feeling really low or ashamed, but if you want to create compassion for yourself, you have to change your mindset. Mindset shifts starts with identifying the core beliefs you’re carrying, and beginning to tweak just a few things about the core beliefs to be more authentic Start treating yourself kindly rather than harshly and extend the same love and support you would to a loved one. We find it easy to show our best friend support and compassion so why don’t we try to do this for ourselves as well?
Speak kindly about yourself.
Hand in hand with the first step is speaking and thinking kindly about yourself. Your words are incredibly powerful, and if you continuously tell yourself you’re unworthy, a mess, or unforgiveable, you’ll soon start to believe it. Instead, try telling yourself how deserving, dependable, and loved you are (even if you don’t 100% believe it at first).
Forgive yourself for your mistakes.
Forgiveness is vital for self-compassion. We all make mistakes, but not all of us forgive ourselves for them. Depending on the mistake, this can be a very daunting task, but keep in mind that you cannot go back no matter how badly you might want to, so the best thing to do is to choose forgiveness, learn from your mistakes, and move forward.
Spend time doing things you truly enjoy.
If you’re struggling with shame, enjoying pleasurable activities can be seen as something you don’t deserve. But each and every one of us deserves to engage in joyful, uplifting, and exciting experiences. Embodying experiences that you enjoy can actually allow the way your cells interact with one another to significantly shift the healing process actually catapulting you towards healing and growth. Allowing yourself to experience true happiness is an act of compassion. What better way to experience true happiness than doing something you enjoy?
Take care of your mind and your body.
One of the most compassionate things you can do for yourself is to take care of your mind and body. Spend as much time as possible absorbing new information and be sure to fill your mind and body with positive things (healthy food, good conversations, wisdom, etc.). Being mindful of what you consume and what you do with your energy is an important part of self-compassion.
I challenge you to try these 5 ways of improving your self-compassion this month, and feel free to email us and let us know how it went! info@madewellcenter.org
Be Well,
Lindsay Evans
Clinical Resident