Just for today … I’d like to be kinder to myself

If you’ve ever wondered what your life might feel like if you were kinder to yourself, please join me. I think this might be an interesting experiment if we could be consistent with it.

I do believe when we’re making more of our own decisions about how we want our lives to be, that we will feel more empowered and we might enjoy more of our day too.

So that you and I both don’t get overwhelmed by the enormity of this task, let’s preface each goal with the phrase “Just for today…”

Here are some ideas to play with:

“Just for today… when I feel overwhelmed by the demands of life or the voice in my head, I will ground myself.  I will take a deep breath in, get out of my head, stamp my feet into the ground and say out loud “I’m in charge here now” to remind myself who’s boss (of me) and bring myself back to the present moment.

Just for today… I’m going to have clear boundaries in my relationships with others and say “No” full stop if something doesn’t feel right.  Not “no” question mark or “no” is that okay with you?  It’s “No” as in, the answer is No.

Just for today… I will delete the words “should,” “must” and “ought to” from my vocabulary and replace them with “I need …,” “I will…” and “I choose to…” all of these words remind me that I have the power to choose how my life goes, rather than feeling that other people are pulling my strings for me.

Just for today… If someone requests something of me and I feel pressured to “perform” or deliver something that feels forced or unnatural, I will take a moment to ask myself if this is a realistic request and in line with my values.  If it’s not, I will take a good look inside myself and ask why I think I need this person’s approval.

Just for today… If I feel I need a moment to myself to get away from all the noise and chaos around me, I will take the time, however small and I will make some space in my day to recalibrate and recharge my batteries with fresh energy, even if it means I do that while taking an official “bathroom break” – rest assured, no one knows what you’re doing in there!

Just for today… I will set the table beautifully with my best crockery and cutlery, fresh flowers, and light a candle – I will go the extra mile to ensure I have everything I need to feel loved, cared for and nurtured with the meal I am about to eat, even if it’s only very basic fare.  It’s how we treat ourselves that makes all the difference.

And now for a brief case study on the possible side-effects of being kind to ourselves … I used to have a client, a lovely lady, who from her first marriage, had a tiara sitting collecting dust in her glass cabinet.  She told me sometimes when she felt lonely eating her dinner at night, she would get out her glittering, heavy, jewel-encrusted tiara and wear it while she ate her dinner!

She said it helped her to feel like royalty and it made a dramatic difference in the way she felt about herself and subsequently cared about herself, if only for that evening.  Over the next couple of years of consistently treating herself like she was worth something, this lady went on to remove a large amount of excess weight naturally, rediscovering her love of physical activity and she unexpectedly even found love again.  She was very inspiring and encouraging with all the changes she made in her lifestyle.

So… Just for today… I think I’ll find a way to treat myself like I’m worth something, will you join me?