Healthy Minds: Celebrating Yourself

If we are honest, we all have personal struggles with some aspect of ourselves. We can spend so much time criticising ourselves and often we do it without even noticing because it almost becomes a natural thing to to do. We have to create moments to show ourselves respect, honour and to celebrate ourselves. Celebrating self is a deliberate choice to actively participate in re¥ ecting on the best of ourselves rather than what we perceive as our problem areas. There’s no need for a special occasion. YOU are the special occasion.

According to an article written by Sharon Martin on the Psych Central website, self-love means that…

You accept yourself fully, treat yourself with kindness and respect, and nurture your growth and wellbeing.
It encompasses not only how you treat yourself but also your thoughts and feelings about yourself.
When we conceptualise self-love, we can try to imagine what we would do for ourselves, how we talk to ourselves, and how we feel about ourselves.
When we love ourselves, we have an overall positive view of who and how we are.

This doesn’t mean you feel positive about yourself all the time. It’s normal to feel disappointed or annoyed with ourselves but still love ourselves.

Why do we need to love ourselves?

Without self-love, we’re likely to be highly self-critical and fall into people-pleasing and perfectionism.
We’re more likely to tolerate abuse or mistreatment from others.
We may neglect our own needs and feelings because we don’t value ourselves.
We may self-sabotage or make decisions that aren’t in our own best interest.
Self-love is the foundation that allows us to be assertive, set boundaries and create healthy relationships with others, practice self-care, pursue our interests and goals, and feel proud of who we are.

What does self-love look like?
The following are examples of what self-love can look like in action.

Saying positive things to yourself.
Forgiving yourself when you mess up.
Meeting your own needs.
Being assertive.
Not letting others take advantage of or abuse you.
Prioritising your health and wellbeing.
Spending time around people who support you and build you up.
Asking for help.
Letting go of grudges or anger that holds you back.
Recognising your strengths.

Valuing your feelings.
Making healthy lifestyle choices as consistently as possible.
Living in accordance with your values.
Pursuing your interests and goals.
Challenging yourself.
Holding yourself accountable.
Giving yourself healthy treats.
Accepting your imperfections.
Setting realistic expectations.
Noticing your progress and effort.

Love notes to Self

Without self-love, we’re likely to be highly self-critical and fall into people-pleasing and perfectionism.
We’re more likely to tolerate abuse or mistreatment from others.
We may neglect our own needs and feelings because we don’t value ourselves.
We may self-sabotage or make decisions that aren’t in our own best interest.
Self-love is the foundation that allows us to be assertive, set boundaries and create healthy relationships with others, practice self-care, pursue our interests and goals, and feel proud of who we are.

Celebrate YOU!
Every day we can take small moments just by placing a hand on our hearts, connecting with our heartbeat and thinking about our accomplishments whether we consider them big or small. Make a commitment to remember that self-love is an essential service for self and that you are the only service provider. We have
daily victories that don’t have to go unnoticed. Give yourself that standing ovation. Speak kindly to yourself, light a candle, play a song, take a few breaths or a walk and meditate on your own accomplishments. We don’t need a red carpet or a fan club. What we need is the gift of our admiration and our own attention.