What does it mean to take care of yourself?
There are many ways to take care of yourself! Here we explain what taking care of yourself means and provide helpful practices to do so.
Taking care of yourself involves many things! Here is some of our best advice.
Value yourself
If you value yourself, it means you treat yourself with respect. It also means that you give yourself the right to make mistakes and to learn. You don’t beat yourself up because you’re not perfect. Nobody is! It’s normal to feel dissatisfied with yourself from time to time, but look at the overall picture: you’re a good person who’s doing good things!
Be kind to yourself
You’re dumb, you’re no good at anything… Would you say that to a friend? Probably not, and if a friend said that to you, he/she wouldn’t be a friend for long! But you might be repeating negative statements like that to yourself all the time. In general, we’re much harder on ourselves than on other people! Listen when you talk to yourself and ask yourself if you’d treat someone you love like that. So you’ve had a disappointment or a failure? What would you say to a friend in that situation? Probably that he/she would have a chance to make up for it, that it was a learning experience, and that it didn’t change anything fundamental about him/her! So why would you insult yourself?
Do things you like and that make you feel good
Seeing friends, spending time with your family, taking the time to rest, making yourself a good meal, running yourself a bubble bath, watching your favourite movie, getting out into nature, walking your dog, playing guitar… our small daily pleasures have a cumulative effect: they add up to make us happier overall. What could you do to please yourself, today and every day?
By applying these tips, you’ll just keep feeling happier and more comfortable with yourself.
