For today's Get Happy post, let's talk about love and compassion. The kind we give to ourselves. Psychological research now proves that people who accept their imperfections and give themselves a break, tend to be happier and more optimistic.
In this study, Dr. Kristin Neff discovered that “the biggest reason people aren’t more self-compassionate is that they are afraid they’ll become self-indulgent. They believe self-criticism is what keeps them in line...because our culture says being hard on yourself is the way to be.”
If you could use some help in the self love department, there are a few tools to re-train your state of mind. Meditation is one of the best ways combat negative self-talk. Or take "compassion breaks" throughout the day, repeating affirmations like, “I’m going to be kind to myself in this moment.” And here are 50 more ways to give yourself a break.
I like to think I have a great deal of self compassion. I always treat myself to indulgences for task completion or a job well done. Maybe too much! I'm not afraid to say no to others when I need "me" time. But now and again, I catch my inner voice drilling into my self worth. Personally, I think the trick is to be conscious of it. Without judging yourself, gently turn the insult into praise.
How kind are you to yourself?
{Pre-edited image by Thayer Allyson Gowdy}
