Part One- Be Kinder to yourself- in this first part, you’ll find some practical steps to be kinder and gentler with yourself. That , in turn, should help you live a fuller life that’s overflowing with the rewards that kindness brings. When you treat yourself like the VIP you are, you can more easily be kind to those around you.
For your loving-kindness to grow and flourish, start by being gentle with yourself. Think about all the ways you’ve made other’s lives better, easier, and more fun through your past acts of kindness. Revel in the joy that gave you. Now think of how you could make your own life better, easier and more fun. You are just as important, and you deserve it too.
One way that you can best nurture yourself with kindness is to speak gently to yourself. The inner critic in everybody tends to leap to unfair, absolute conclusions. Turn around by trying to talk to yourself with compassion, the same way you would talk to a dear friend who’s in pain.
Here’ an example. Consider someone who makes an impulsive purchase and then tells themselves, “You screwed up again!. You’re terrible with money. Compare that to someone who instead says, “Okay, this is one mistake. Let’s move forward with a smart choice that can help balance things out. The second solution helps you efficiently move on from a mistake and channel your energy into positive solutions.
Now consider this: How can you better show yourself loving-kindness when you most need it? Start by replacing negative things you often tell yourself with compassionate and constructive things instead. Then, in the following space, write what you would usually say to yourself and jot down kinder alternatives.
The harsh thing you told yourself :
What you can say instead :
The harsh thing you told yourself :
What you can say instead :
Try this for a week and delight in how much more manageable and pleasurable life can get when you lavish kindness on your self.
Keep it Going! These steps can be start of a more peaceful, loving way of empowering yourself to life. But first make a real commitment to talk to yourself gently every day.
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