Celebrating yourself is a skill that you need to learn and it’s a hard one to get started with. But I’ve tried to go past the cringe feeling and the narratives that try to sabotage this and slowly find little ways and little moments to pause and recognise my achievements. These don’t have to be big and life changing achievements they can be simple like keeping your pot plant alive, or keeping your place tidy or becoming a better listener etc. Pausing and recognising that our efforts continuously convert into achievements is a habit that I am slowly starting to form so that I can be kinder towards myself.
I find this exercise really difficult because I’m both a recovering perfectionist and also ambitious. So, it’s hard for me to recognise anything positive that I do let alone pause and celebrate it. But, ever since I’ve tried to change this habit and to transform my beliefs around self-worth and self-appreciation, I’ve noticed that little by little I’m becoming more comfortable with being kinder to myself.
It got me thinking about how different my life would be if I wasn’t my own worst critic, if I had learned how to be kind to myself from the beginning and if I paused to celebrate the achievements I’ve had along the way so that I can truly recognise my strengths and efforts. But I realise that looking back and wishing that things were different is one of the most harmful ways that you can criticise yourself. It’s unfair to take today’s wisdom and learning and use it as a measure to judge your past self; this in itself is unkind. So, I am going to let it go and step into the present moment where I am doing my best, now.
We can all form habits that enable us to be kinder to ourselves and also to others. You don’t have to get it right every day you just need to try every day. Before you know it, you’ve rewired your brain and have outgrown old habits and beliefs that no longer serve you.
Love yourself.
Love Always,
M
Souloom™ 