Ways to be kinder to yourself

It takes a while before you can realise that you're responsible for your own happiness. Through life's dynamism, which can throw you off balance, you'll realise that giving yourself a pat in the back filled with positivity will make you rise above the water.

How exactly can you be kind to yourself, especially when faced with tragedy left, right and centre? Here are some ways:

Take your regrets as lessons

Awhile back, I wallowed into guilt from deciding to walk out of a business partnership on the basis of my emotional wellbeing. Not only did this set me back financially, but also made my social circle dwindle. I had no idea what moving away from my usual work environment meant. Years later, my business partner flourished with the company which I had toiled so much for and threw away. However, as part of detoxing myself, it was prudent for me to realize that my mistakes were already in the past. What I had was the future to change by making better conscious present decisions.

 Looking at your mistakes from the perspective of lessons gives you a positive outlook which will make you stop sabotaging your future success.

Have some time alone

When is the last time you packed some bags and went on a solo trip? Maybe you shut off from social media and decided to celebrate yourself and be alone at home? Solitude has its benefits, some of which involve giving you time to retrospect. It's difficult to be able to think about yourself and take stock of what you've achieved so far with the surrounding noise.

As part of your self-kindness regime, take time off everyone else and be on your own. As the wise say, you know you've attained your ultimate state of self-mastery only if you are comfortable with your own thoughts.

Indulge into those guilty pleasures once in a while

Everyone has been telling you to quit watching Netflix so you decided to turn it off for two months. Whereas this is not to advocate you turning back to that addictive behaviour that interferes with your life balance, indulging in something you love is important. To make it more enjoyable, use this as a form of rewarding yourself. You work so hard and if buying yourself an expensive pair of shoes is what gets you upbeat, so be it. People can say all sorts of things to make you feel guilty, but you need to know what works for you without harm.

Compliment yourself

There are so many times you find yourself waiting to be complimented by your boss, spouse or friends. Could this be a way of you are seeking approval from other people? Getting to compliment yourself first is a sure way of being kind to yourself.

Take that picture and frame it on your wall, appreciate your body shape and pamper it. When you look at yourself from an angle of appreciation, other people's words are just the cherry on the cake. Even when anyone wants to speak negatively about you, you're able to objectively analyse their statement or ignore them completely without getting hurt.

Rest

Too much work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. The truth is, even Jills (girls) need rest. You work so hard and need to embrace a system of resting your mind and body. Choosing to skip the night out with the girls for more sleep hours is not being selfish or having poor social skills. It's putting yourself first.

What about paying for that massage or going for an event you like that ensures you're chilled out? It's also part of rest and being kind to yourself.

Once you make self-love your top priority, you'll realise that being kind to yourself flows naturally. There's no need to be too harsh on yourself when you deserve nothing but the best.