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Category: Personal Growth

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Personal Growth Self Care Uncategorized

5 Ways To Appreciate Yourself More

woman wearing silver-colored ring

It’s often more challenging to see what we’re doing right than what we’re doing wrong. Even reflecting on our admirable characteristics makes some of us nervous. Appreciation and compliments can make us uncomfortable, and we sometimes don’t know how to react without appearing self-conscious. 

So, how can we positively appreciate our great traits? I suppose the key is self-compassion, which entails treating oneself with compassion, a feeling of shared humanity, and consciousness when we evaluate our apparent shortcomings – but differently. A good way to think about is allowing and embracing “self-appreciation.”

According to LifeHack, “To love yourself is to experience freedom – freedom from doubt, self-hate, and oppression created by you. To love yourself is no longer holding yourself back from what you deserve. To love yourself is to grow and enjoy your life. Self-love is a necessity if you want to live a comfortable life. Self-love is a choice, a commitment to yourself that you will love yourself, despite all the social and biological obstacles in your path. It is not found in a place, person, or item.” 

5 Ways To Appreciate Yourself More

Decide To Do It

Self-appreciation is a decision you have to make yourself; it is not bestowed upon you. It is not found in another person or an item. You get self-appreciation by choosing what you desire. It would be best if you decided to let go of this toxic thinking after a lifetime of loathing yourself for not being enough.

Say no to all of your internal self-hatred and tell yourself the truth: you are not perfect, and that is good. Begin by giving yourself license to appreciate yourself more. Even if you convince yourself otherwise, you are deserving of more appreciation. 

Take time to tell yourself this and permit yourself to enjoy yourself. This is the first step in acknowledging the reality that you can appreciate yourself.

Check Your Negative Beliefs

Disrupt mental patterns that are solely focused on failures and defects. When it comes to self-esteem, our subconscious is not always on our side. 

It takes time and effort to educate your mind into healthy habits, but the first step is to recognize the falsehoods it tells you:

  • Recognize that feeling like a loser does not imply that you are a failure.
  • Examine the evidence to support your findings. Even though the negative thought spiral makes it feel that way, a friend not replying to your text does not indicate they dislike you.
  • Recognize that good happening merit your attention as well. One negative comment should not deter you from appreciating positive feedback.

Compassionately React To Your Blunders And Setbacks

You don’t have to berate yourself for every blunder. According to research, reacting to your own mistakes with compassion boosts your self-esteem and makes you a more competent and resourceful individual. Fight back against the inner critic who distorts reality:

  • There are hardly any things in life that are “all or nothing.” Even if things did not go as planned, it does not imply that nothing good came from it.
  • One setback does not define you for the rest of your life.
  • Call that feeling of pessimism into question by reminding yourself, “Things didn’t go my way, but that doesn’t indicate they always will. I can’t foresee the future.”

Let Go Of The Perfection Ideology

You will never be flawless; no person will ever be. Don’t allow this to prevent you from appreciating yourself. It’s easy to despise oneself for not being perfect or sufficient. However, this leads to self-hatred since you focus on what you do not have rather than what you do have—self-appreciation blossoms in a great attitude, which requires you to appreciate what you have. In a worldview founded in perfection, dubbed “never good enough,” your ability to understand yourself suffers, fades, and dies.

Learn To Say No

Instead of overcommitting, prioritize your personal needs. Respect your boundaries and learn to decline obligations that aren’t worth the stress. The unthinking “yes” in answering any request is a sort of “people-pleasing” action that prioritizes everyone else’s interests before your own.

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Anxiety/Stress Personal Growth

5 Ways To Stop Being Shy

woman covering face with leaves

Are you shy?

Does the thought of speaking in a group have you making up excuses?

Or are you afraid of having a conversation with a new friend?

Shyness is surprisingly very common. Survey results report that about 40 to 60 percent of all adults identify as someone shy. However, like all character traits, shyness can be overcome with the proper steps.

Identify Your Triggers

Nobody is shy all of the time. The odds are that there are situations where you feel relaxed and comfortable.

Identify what makes you shy. It can be speaking in public, asking a lady out, or simply being alone in a crowded space.

When you identify the triggers for your shyness, you can plan a course of action for when such situations arise. You will also plan on ways to overcome them.

These triggers can be especially hard to identify in most cases. It might be a smell, a location, or even a sound. However, it is crucial to do so as it is the first step to overcoming your shyness.

Be Informed

If you dread speaking to a crowd or having small talks, you can increase your odds of not turning such an experience into a social disaster when you read about the topic.

If you are shy of being at a party because you fear you’ll be the odd thumb, you could read on current happenings, watch a trending video, or research on a recent event. This way, you are well informed about an issue and can chip into discussions or start one yourself. 

If you’re shy, it’s likely to get even worse when everyone is talking about an event you are unfamiliar with. Staying up to date with events would help boost your confidence in social situations as you can engage with people and enlighten anyone who isn’t in the know.

Set Goals

While you want to be like the super confident kid who seamlessly navigates the social setting and seems to make a new friend every time they step out of their house, it’ll be more helpful if you aim a bit lower at first. 

You can begin by finding out your trigger and creating an action plan to overcome it. If you are shy when called to speak in public, you could start by addressing five of your friends and slowly increase the number until you overcome that trait. Create simple goals and work your way to the top.

Record Your Successes

It’s a good idea to keep track of the successes you’ve made in overcoming shyness and frequently read it when you feel you can’t achieve a set milestone.

Odds are that you will be surprised by how far you’ve come, which will further increase your belief that overcoming shyness is possible. Psychologists state that reading how far you have progressed is a great way to stay motivated and keep trying. 

Be Kind To Yourself And Take It Slow

You wouldn’t suddenly get rid of shyness and become super confident after a few days of practicing these steps. No one gets rid of shyness overnight. As long as you’re taking steps to become better, you should reward yourself. 

Take as long as you need to get rid of shyness, and do not try to rush yourself. Rushing the steps or beating yourself over being “slow” will only delay the process and can make you stop trying. 

In summary, shy people tend to spend a lot of time “inside their own heads,” and it is easy to distort experiences. You might assume that your shyness not only stopped you from having a good time but ruined the event for everyone else. The chances of that being true is extremely slim.

Don’t beat yourself up over it and take as long as you need to overcome it. With consistency and determination, you’ll get rid of it in no time.

Categories
Personal Growth Self Care Self Esteem/Self Confidence

Improve Your Connection To Yourself

woman in white bathtub holding clear drinking glass

No doubt you’ve read dozens of articles on how to develop healthy relationships with other people. Yet, we don’t see many that talk about how to work at improving your connection to yourself.

The irony is that no other relationship is as vital to your health as the one you have with yourself. You may not be aware of it, but this relationship dictates everything in your life. It shapes the way you manage relationships, deal with colleagues, and even how you sleep at night.

Today, we’re going to reveal how improving your connection to yourself can make you a happier and more fulfilled individual.

Let’s dive in.

5 Ways to Improve Your Connection to Yourself

So, how do you go about improving your connection to yourself?

Well, you begin by taking your beliefs, feelings, and goals seriously. Then, you have to realize that your imperfections and strengths are two sides of the same coin. They coexist to make up the person you are today.

It’s important to remember that no one in the world knows what it’s like to be you. Your are unique – there is no-one else like you. Start practicing being your own best friend. Learn to show yourself empathy and self-compassion.

To boost your self-worth, start with these five techniques.

Understand Your Likes and Dislikes

Knowing what you like and don’t like is the definition of self-acceptance. It also means that you don’t change the way you live or the way you do certain things to please other people. Allow yourself to be truly seen for who you are—good and bad.

That can be hard at times. Our society conditions us to live by other people’s rules is the only way to fit in and be accepted.

Realizing that we’re all different means accepting your individuality. Understanding your likes and dislikes is a big part of that.

Once you know those, then you can do more of what makes you happy.

Be Kind

We can be our own worst enemies. We constantly criticize, prick, and prod at our imperfections without mercy.

Our weight usually tops the list. But there are other things we obsess over as well, like the shape of our nose or the bags under our eyes.

Why not try something different for a change? The next time you look in the mirror, find one thing you appreciate about yourself. Praise yourself and show gratitude for them.

We’re not saying this will be easy. In fact, you may not even think of anything, in the beginning, to be thankful for.

Don’t be surprised, you’re not alone. Almost nine times out of ten, your eye will automatically fall on the features you don’t like about yourself.

But don’t worry. With daily practice, you’ll be able to make a list of all those things that make you beautiful and unique.

What about those other things you don’t like? Learn to accept them. They’re still part of what makes you the special and unique person you are.

Listen to Yourself

When something feels off, pay attention to what your gut is telling you. Even if it’s difficult, uncomfortable, or goes against what others are telling you.

Let yourself feel and get comfortable with your emotions and beliefs. When you listen to what your body and gut are telling you, you’ll feel inner peace and a sense of belonging.

After a while, you’ll get better at understanding your body’s cues and signals. Only then can you start improving your connection to yourself.

Establish Good Habits

Setting up healthy habits is a sure way to improve your relationship with yourself. Start from when you first wake up in the morning all the way to when you go to sleep.

Some of these habits include:

  • Journaling
  • Write down positive affirmations
  • Exercise regularly
  • Actively plan healthy, well-balanced meals
  • Practice mindful meditation
  • Smile more often

Cultivate Encouraging Behavior

Many of us have an all-or-nothing attitude. We decide to do something then as soon as we start to fall back, we call it quits!

Perfectionism actually leads to depression. It gets you in this vicious cycle of self-blame and negativity, which can lead you to a dark, lonely place.

To avoid this toxic cycle, begin by accepting you’re not perfect. You will mess up and your day won’t always go the way you planned it. That’s okay.

Let’s say you set up a goal of going to the gym five times a week for an hour. The first week goes as you planned, but the second week, you miss a day (or two!)

You can do one of two things: call the whole thing off or you can pick up where you left off. If, by week three, you feel that five days is too much, tone it down a bit. Maybe go for half an hour instead of a full 60 minutes.

This doesn’t have to just apply to exercise. It can also apply to your diet, sleep, and work goals. Show yourself some love and encouragement and do the work. Everything else will follow through.

Conclusion

Having good self-esteem strengthens your sense of self. It’s one of the best ways to develop a healthy relationship with yourself and, ultimately, with others. Each of the five techniques aims at improving your connection to yourself. Make that you’re number one priority going forward.

By practicing them daily, they can boost our self-confidence and help us stay grounded. As a result, we’re able to form a strong, well-balanced connection to ourselves. Only then can we start living in alignment with who we truly are.

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