Be Kind to Yourself

Michael — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:32:54 +0000

I was talking with a friend of mine yesterday. He gave me congratulations on something I did well. I accepted the compliment, but not before downing everything about the accomplishment. Thinking it was proper to be humble, I foolishly denied my well-doings. The catch here, though, is that I was not being humble; I was being down on myself.

There is a difference between being humble and being harsh on oneself. I crossed the line and that is why I am writing this post. I want to dedicate it to all who have down-spoken their accomplishments for the sake of being polite – who have felt depressed because their own inner critics could acknowledge a good thing. Be kind to yourself.

Here is a simple exercise to try: write down something you love about yourself, something you have done well today, or something you accomplished that you had been putting off for a while. If you cannot come up with something immediately, think: have you been kind to somebody today? Made a funny joke? Did you finish a long-term project? Has your blog gotten a new commenter, or have you successfully tried to meditate? Did you learn something new?

If you still have nothing on paper, try looking at your to-do list. Cross something off. Now you can be pleased with yourself.

Today is Thursday. I want you to make Wednesday a weekly be kind to yourself exercise day. Look in the mirror and tell yourself why you have done a good job and what you love about yourself every week on Wednesdays.

You will be all the better for it.

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