15 Ways to Be Kind to Yourself
Being kind to others starts with — surprise! — being kind to ourselves. Here’s how to practice that
Let’s get to it. Here are 15 ways to cultivate self-kindness:
1. Listen to your own needs just as you listen to others’ needs.
2. Don’t judge yourself for past or present mistakes.
3. Give yourself time or heal from bad or traumatic experiences.
4. Do something for yourself without calculating how it will benefit your productivity/financial situation/effectivity.
5. Don’t apologize for your choices.
6. Acknowledge your fears and concerns. “Fearless” is not really human; facing fear starts from acknowledging it exists.
7. KNOW your boundaries and RESPECT your boundaries.
8. Allow yourself to dream of a desired future for yourself, without limitations.
9. Give yourself thanks for who you are and what you have created in this world.
10. Celebrate success, big and small.
11. Allow yourself private time without falling into the trap of “it’s rude” or “it’s not socialized/polite”.
12. Give yourself a break when you NEED a break; not when you DESERVE it.
13. Enable yourself to enjoy the journey, rather than just being focused on the destination.
14. Let go of dependency on others’ approval.
15.Welcome to your life anything that excites you and makes your heart smile, even if it’s untraditional/uncommon/unheard of.
The world needs more kindness.
Even for a minute, I’m not suggesting to cut down on kindness offered to others — as this is the building block of a thriving society.
Yet by being kind to ourselves — we have the capacity and recourses to be kind to the people around us, while respecting ourselves as well.
I’m keen to hear from you:
-Which item of this list is your favorite one?
-What would you add?
