“Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others.” -Christopher Germer
Do you often find yourself putting your own needs on the back burner while you focus on being kind and giving to those around you?
While it’s a great thing to show kindness to others, many of us often don’t give ourselves the same amount of compassion or grace that we give to those around us.
We don’t usually take the time to truly take care of our minds, bodies, or souls. This can mean different things for each individual person.
Perhaps for you it means not making time for the hobbies you enjoy, not eating healthy foods to nourish your body, functioning on very little sleep everyday, being too hard on yourself and lacking self-compassion.
Being kind to yourself isn’t a waste of your time and energy, in fact it’s probably one of the absolute best ways you can invest in yourself. Being kinder to yourself allows you to fill your own cup up so that you are happier and more energized in life, and therefore able to offer more to others as well. A true win-win!
Today I’m sharing a few ways to be kinder to yourself, categorized by mind, body, and soul. I hope this inspires you on your journey to adding more self-love into your life and giving yourself the grace and compassion you deserve ♡
Ways to be kinder to yourself:
♡ Mind ♡
1. Unplug from technology for an hour every single night
2. Keep a list running in your phone of compliments you receive from others, and read them when you are having a bad day
3. Unfollow anyone on social media that makes you feel like you’re not good enough in comparison
4. Read a book that you’ve been wanting to check out for awhile and just haven’t made the time for
5. Forgive yourself for something you’re having a hard time letting go of
♡ Body ♡
6. Take three deep breaths as slowly as possible
7. Go for a walk (or run) on the prettiest path near your home
8. Make one small healthy change, like adding an extra serving of vegetables to your dinner
9. Stretch for 10 minutes
10. Take some time on Sundays to prepare lunches for the week to give yourself something nourishing and delicious to look forward to each afternoon (I’ve personally been loving this thai crunch salad that I make ahead but keep the ingredients separated and then mix together for lunch every day on the weeks that I make it. SO good!)
♡ Soul ♡
11. Ask for help when you need it. This is easier said than done, but is so important when you feel like you are at your breaking point.
12. Create a gratitude journal and list 3 things you’re grateful for at the end of every day
13. Plan something to look forward to – whether it’s this weekend, next month, or several months from now. It’s fun to have something on the calendar that you’ll look forward to in anticipation!
14. Write down 5 things you love about yourself
15. Schedule downtime in your calendar. Set aside a small block of time this weekend to allow yourself to read, take a bath, lounge around in your Pjs. Whatever will make you feel refreshed and reenergized afterwards!
What are some ways you can be kinder to yourself this week? Leave a comment below to share some ideas we can all use! 🙂
Wonderful. I found it very nice and inspiring. Plz do send me more like this.
Grattitude
Read a book, without guilt!
Thanks for sharing Cathy!
Tell myself I’m beautiful when I look in the mirror. Be easier on myself for not having everything right now in my life be perfect\great.
Love the list and want to do them all this weekend!
Just got back from a vacation in Florida and spending time with my son & his girlfriend….looking forward to the next visit.
My daughter and her husband are coming in next weekend for a visit and a family bus ride for St. Patrick’s Day. Yes with a name like O’Brien it is a family holiday!
I get most refreshed when I hear and see my children! I love spending time with them and sometimes wish they were both under 5 again…..
I’m going to give myself a break! My grandmother passed away right after Thanksgiving, and it’s been very hard for me to accept. I’m realizing that it’s okay to not have everything all “together” right now. I’m doing the best I can, and it’s okay.
Thanks for the list…just what I needed to hear right now!
One of my goals this year was to read again!! I’d stopped because life just got too busy and crazy and although I missed reading I didn’t realize how MUCH until I started up again! Reading has been very good for both my body and soul! Thank you for the list and good luck with the weather. I can still remember it vividly being a Chicago native myself! ?
A Life Beyond Destiny
I just started my blog HomeWorkin Mama where I will discuss being a WFH Mom and first time mom. I’m also going to homeschool my daughter and share those experiences! Please check it out! 🙂
http://homeworkinmama.com
I haven’t read a whole book since my toddler was born. I really miss reading! I’m definitely going to schedule in some reading time each day from now on.
It’s crazy how us mums just lose ourselves a little bit when kids come along. We really have to make the time to value ourselves.
i feel ya. audible really helped me when i was pumping at work and could squeeze in some book time. also played it on my commute to work.
i am a kindness blogger and love this. very well said Christina! i love the Germer quote. I am going to print it and hang it on my bulletin board in my office. also, i am pinning the gorgeous crunch salad to incorporate in my clean eating repertoire in 2019 🙂
These are great ideas! I especially love “plan something to look forward to!” I never do that intentionally, but when I stop to think about it, having something that I’m excited about coming up does give me a big lift in my attitude! I also get a ton more work done and feel more accomplished, which only keeps the good feelings going! Thank you for your ideas.
Lovely! Self-compassion is so important, especially when we help others. I am loving baths with epsom salts and essential oils at the moment.
Being home at Treasure at Tampines
during this covid period also makes me wanna set personal small goals to accomplish. Your article reminds me that it is important we do something for ourselves.
First of all, I really loved how you reworded the practice of self-care into “ways to be kinder to yourself”. It really puts into perspective how some of the things we do everyday or some of the relationships we have can be diminishing to our ability to love ourselves. I loved this message that you emphasised in your post. While reading what you highlighted in your post, I just kept thinking about how true everything you were saying was.
Your message and self-care tips really resonated with me especially because of the difficulty of 2020. I had to cut toxic relationships in order to prioritise myself and wellbeing, something I was afraid to do, before I realised, as you have said, that we have to be kinder to ourselves.
It was really helpful having your tips to self-care broken down into the subheadings: Mind, body, and soul. It clearly showed the different, simple ways you can incorporate self-love and self-growth into your life without being too complicated or overwhelming.
You’ve inspired me to read the book I was in the middle of and really enjoying but haven’t picked in a couple of months. Thank you!
Very interesting
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