“This shirt is unflattering– I look awful today.”
“I can’t believe I said that earlier, I was so stupid.”
In the month that is all about love, sometimes it can be easy to forget how important self-love is.
I am guilty of this.
I pride myself in being kind and supportive and would do anything for any of my friends and family. In fact I’m quick to offer grace and words of encouragement to others especially when they are down on themselves.
Annie had a bad day of work? Girl, you got this. You are an intelligent, capable, badass warrior princess.
Heidi is frustrated with a series of first dates that haven’t gone anywhere? Love, you are such a catch and you are going to find someone who can keep up with your wittiness, intelligence, and humor.
Laura feels like she’s in a slump? Lady, you’re doing just fine. In fact, you’re doing more than fine and continue to multitask and work toward your goals with the best of them.
But do you think I talk to myself this way? Most of the time I don’t. I’ve become more aware of the way I talk to myself this year and am working on extending the same grace, kindness, and patience to myself.
I know I’m not alone in this.
Here are some things I’m doing to keep the negative self-talk in check:
1) When I think something negative about myself, I ask myself if I would say what I just thought to someone else.
2) If the answer is no, I acknowledge that I’m being hard on myself.
3) If it’s something I want to work on – getting in better shape, for example – then I remind myself to be patient and do small things daily to work toward a goal.
I think we could all be a little kinder to ourselves and I hope this helps if this is something you struggle with too.
Chasing Conversations 