The above quote is so powerful. We need to shower ourselves with love and kindness in order to heal. A physical wound which is constantly pricked will never heal. In the same way, our emotional wounds will never heal if we keep criticising and hating ourselves.
All of us have been through phases in life which we dread to recollect. As much as we don’t want to think about them, the pain we experienced during those times still reside deep within our psyche. No matter how many times we tell ourselves and those around us that we have healed, the nasty criticism we inflict on ourselves keeps the wounds from healing.
We have become so accustomed to the negativity which we subject ourselves to, that self-love can be really difficult in the beginning. However, it is of vital importance to love oneself at the start of any journey towards healing.
It is unfair to judge our actions and decisions of the past based on the knowledge we possess now. So it’s about time you stop giving yourself a hard time about the bad decisions you’ve made. You’ve learnt from your mistakes, you’ve grown from them, now it’s time you forgive yourself and move on to happier times.
Years of criticising myself made me go deeper into depression. Once I learnt how to stop giving myself a hard time, life has been so much easier. Self-love has made all those wounds finally heal.
Here are some tips on how you can make self-love a priority :
Distance Yourself From Toxic People – I can’t stress enough how important this is for mental health. As the saying goes – ‘You can’t keep dancing with the devil and wonder why you’re still in hell.’ You have to learn to move away from people whose negativity overpowers your life. Positivity can’t survive in negative situations. Make it a point to realise what matters to YOU, not others. People may despise you, that really doesn’t matter, as long as you’re at peace away from them.
Meditate – Once you learn how to be at peace with your thoughts and negative inner-dialogue, and once you are able to shine consciousness on them, they will slowly vanish. Meditation will give you a sense of calm and will help you heal much faster.
Spend Some ‘Me’ Time Everyday – Set aside an hour or two a day dedicated to doing something that makes you happy. It could even be switching off your phone, sitting on the sofa and doing nothing – that’s perfectly fine. Make sure you prioritize your happiness. This way, even if you have a stressful job, you have some time each day to look forward to.
Exercise – Exercise is of utmost importance for both physical and mental health. If you are inactive most of the day, there are higher chances of you being depressed. It has been proven that exercise increases happiness. Even a five minute walk around the room or a few squats every hour is sufficient – something better than nothing.
Random Acts Of Kindness – When you do something good for someone else, chances are that you will feel good as well. Help out a stranger or write a thank you note or email to a dear friend or family member. This will help you appreciate yourself more.
Eat Healthy – Your mental health is highly dependant on the food you eat. The more sugar, salt and junk food you eat, the more stress you subject your body and mind to. Learn to eat more natural foods like fruits, vegetables, protein and healthy fats, which will nourish your body and not harm it.
Journal – Each day write down three things that you are glad to have accomplished. Also, write a love letter to yourself on days when you feel low. Make a list of all the things you are proud to have achieved in your life. There is no harm being proud of yourself, as long as that does not lead to arrogance or harm to others.
Read – Reading is food for the mind and calm for the soul. Making reading a habit will help reduce stress and increase knowledge as well.
These are some of the things I do regularly in order to stay happy. Every day has it’s own challenges and it definitely isn’t possible to be happy all the time. But once the negative inner-chatter dies down, you will feel an inner-peace so beautiful, you wish you had learnt about it before.
So remember, make yourself and your happiness a priority, and all your other turmoils will be so much easier to bear
Thank you for reading! Stay blessed!
©TheKindTempest