QUOTE OF THE DAY
“You have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.”
Louise Hay, You Can Heal Your Life
IDEA OF THE DAY
I have heard that the harshest critic you face is always going to be yourself. I find that this has been true for myself, for my clients, for my friends…for pretty much every person I know in my life. So if that’s the case, sounds like each of us could step away from all the inner judgment and take advantage of a summer break, right?
Right Joyna…but…it is kinda HARD to change this habit…
Yes, I agree on that one. It’s easy to remain comfortable in our patterns of self-criticism, and trying to shift into a thought process about self-love and approval can take time. It’s not an overnight fix.
So where do we begin? Right here
HOW do we begin? As with anything, with one small step at a time.
What can I do to start making this shift? Start with something that feels easy and manageable.
A few ideas….
-Start your day with one positive statement you tell yourself as you wake up.
Mine is “I am healthy, happy, and whole”. And even on the days when I wake up grumpy, I will still say this statement to help feed my mind and body nourishing thoughts.
-Have visual reminders of friendly statements- something that feels good when you see it.
It could be on your phone, slips of paper around your house, on your water bottle, or even a post-it on your computer.
-Give your inner critic a pep talk in the mirror.
Rather than avoiding or pushing away the part of you that criticizes, try a more loving approach to begin understanding your critic- you may be surprised by what you discover.
So this week, let’s give it a try on being kinder to ourselves and one another. I believe we can do it!
QUESTION OF THE DAY
Where in your life are you quickest to judge yourself for a mistake made? How can you be a little more gentle in your response the next time something happens?