Be kind. It’s a slogan that we often see, but how many of us truly practice kindness to ourselves?
It was about a year ago when I came across a flyer that Chip and Joanna Gaines had put out about kindness. It was this quote on the flyer that grabbed my attention:
“We feel passionate about coming together to make kindness loud. Kindness is contagious, but the spark has to start somewhere. Why don’t we start here? And why don’t we start now?”
The spark does have to start somewhere. However, how can we expect others to be kind when we aren’t kind to ourselves?
Being kind starts within. It’s about being kind to yourself. We can only give to others, that which lives in ourselves. So the spark of kindness has to start inside of you.
One of the best ways we can start practicing kindness towards ourselves is to stop the negative self-talk. Our inner critic often sounds like those from our past who were not kind to us. Parents, exes, and friends planted the seeds inside of us, and we chose to believe in their words.
How many of the following statements seem familiar to you?
I can’t do this.
I’m not enough.
Others are more successful than I will ever be.
I am a failure.
People don’t like me.
I wish I were better looking.
I have to be perfect.
My life will never change for the better.
It’s always my fault.
I hate myself.
These are only a few of the many negative phrases we tell ourselves. Let’s forgive those who planted these seeds because chances are someone else planted the same seed inside of them. Instead, become your own best friend, parent, or spouse.
You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” – Buddha
Your mindfulness challenge for this week is to be kind to yourself.
I have created a set of kindness cards for you to print here. Additionally, you can use other cards to use. These 50 Kindness Cards I bought from Amazon are perfect for this use.
Take a moment to sit in a quiet spot and make a commitment to start being kinder to yourself.
Write out a minimum of six encouraging affirmations on your kindness cards. Now place those cards in different areas that you will be each day.
For example, one of my cards would look like this:
I used to feel guilty that I was never doing enough for others. No matter how exhausted, I would push myself beyond my limit to make others happy. Even now, I still catch myself doing this, and have to remind myself that I am enough. If what I gave today wasn’t enough for someone else, well, then that is on them because I was enough.
Each day when you become aware that you have un-kind thoughts about yourself, look for your nearest kindness card. Repeat each affirmation that is on your card a minimum of 10 times. Don’t just say them, but feel these affirmations to your core each time you repeat them.
Accept everything about yourself – I mean everything. You are you and that is the beginning and the end – no apologies, no regrets.” – Clark Moustakas
Be kind to yourself, so then you can spread kindness to others.
Want to start with your first mindfulness challenges on self-love? Check out these articles:
Mindfulness Challenge, Appreciate Your Worth
Mindfulness Challenge, How Deep Is Your Awareness?
Mindfulness Challenge, Learn to Love Yourself
If you or someone you know would benefit from these mindfulness challenges, please sign up for our mailing list here. I would love for you to be a part of our mindful tribe.
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