Self Compassion
February is the month of love. Which can be great if you’re in a positive relationship with yourself or another. But for a lot of us, it can bring up thoughts of “why haven’t I found my person”, “why am I not where I thought I’d be in my life right now”, triggering negative belief patterns about our self-worth to come out into the light.
Sometimes when we've suffered with low self-esteem or those negative belief patterns for so long, it can be difficult to know where to begin when you want to start being a little kinder to yourself and your mind! Hopefully this little guide will give you a few easy and accessible ideas for you to start to build something for yourself into your day, and successfully navigate February 😊
Journaling
Journaling can be a great place to start being kind to yourself. If you’re new to the practise, use the following prompts to help you get started
What is one thing you like about yourself?
What is one thing you are proud of?
What is one thing you can do for yourself today to feel joy?
What is one way you can prioritise yourself this week?
Gratitude
People who practise gratitude and notice the things they are thankful for are happier, have a greater sense of wellbeing, and are kinder to themselves as a result. Start by noticing a few things that you are grateful for as part of a morning or evening routine, or when you’re out in nature doing something that makes you feel good. By keeping this activity up regularly
Random acts of kindness
This week is random acts of kindness week (February 13-19). A Random Act of Kindness is giving your best self to others without requests or promise of return on investment. It’s simply doing something nice for someone else, without them asking and without you doing it for anything in return. Random acts of kindness can help you feel calmer, increase feelings of self-worth, boost your endorphins, and also make someone else feel positive and grateful! A few ideas of how to get started are below…
Being kind to your waiter at a restaurant or café
Replying to a social media post you enjoy rather than swiping past mindlessly
Send someone you care about some flowers
Help out doing a job that your other half usually does
Send a letter to someone you love
Donate to a charity
Help someone reach something on the top shelf of the supermarket
Vision boards
Creating a vision board can be a great way to be kind to your mind. Rather than focussing on things that aren’t going well or perhaps something that you lack, vision boards focus on the positive hopes and dreams you have for yourself.
Self-care
Keeping healthy routines and rituals are an important way to look after yourself. These might be things like having breakfast, carving out some time for yourself in the day, planning what you eat, performing exercise, and doing some things you enjoy.
If working on being kinder to yourself is something you’d like to work on, feel free to schedule a session with me (@livewell.withlaura) through the wellbeing section of your GS Method members area!
Laura