Being Nice to Yourself

I came across this the other day and it really made me stop and think. I know so far all my post have related to self discovery, getting comfortable with being alone, but really, when do you think about being good to yourself?

Really being good to yourself, not just buying yourself something nice, spa dates, or indulging in that brownie you’ve been craving since you saw it at the coffee shop. Instead, taking the time to really focus on your mental and emotional well being? Taking time to heal, from hurtful words or acts you’ve endured. Learning to love yourself, and accepting your flaws, because they are a part of who you are, and who you are becoming.

Sure I’ve taken the time to take care of myself physically, by cleaning up my diet and getting back in the gym, trying to find new hobbies that interest me and what not, but I haven’t taken a few moments each day to reassure myself emotionally. Emotional healing is so important.

We all want to be our best emotional self too. No one wants to carry bad baggage into the next relationship or friendship. We all want to feel like we’ve got it together emotionally, and not labeled the crazy one, and that’s why being good to ourselves has to be prioritized over being good for someone else. We have to work through all the emotions from failed endeavors, so that we don’t project them onto the next phase, right? So how do we do that?

How do we work it out? How do we heal and refuel our energy? How do we learn to be good to ourselves first? For many it’s through yoga and meditation, for others it’s music and writing, and still there are so many other ways to achieve this. Art, therapy, a good run... it’s about learning to heal yourself by yourself, or aide someone else, but most important it’s putting yourself first.

Relying on you to push you to next level is far more rewarding, choosing to be better on all fronts is a gift in itself to you. Once you learn to be a good person, to and for yourself, is something no one can take away. It also becomes your greatest weapon in your arsenal, because you’ll know how to take care of yourself emotionally, and mentally, taking that power away from others. And to be real and transparent: I’ve allowed others to hold this power over me. I’ve dealt with overbearing sisters, and narcissistic lovers, and even a few frenemies, who have had their hand in me maintaining my own happiness. I’ve allowed these individuals convince me I wasn’t enough, or pretty enough, or thin enough. I’ve competed with them for approval I never needed. But I know my key to happiness I have to keep close to my heart and in my hands only.

Of course it all sounds good in theory, but putting it to practice can be more challenging. You might discover several different methods and tricks, to allow you the time energy and tools to treat yourself as well as you naturally want to treat others. They say the hardest part of love, for some, is you blindly expect others to have the same kind heart you do, and you often learn they don’t. So why wouldn’t you want to save some of your unconditional blind love for yourself? The first step is taking back your power, and becoming a good person for your own wellbeing. So give it a try. Learn to be a good woman/man to yourself first.