I think I speak for most people when I say we have this major weakness of beating ourselves down for the things we do... I was speaking to a girlfriend of mine just the other day on this topic and I knew I had to talk about it here. As we were discussing this, I came to realise that we are not alone in this. So many of us after making mistakes instead of pulling ourselves up, we beat ourselves down. We think that by criticising ourselves harshly that the results will be better... And since all this negativity comes from past experiences, you're convinced that you're doing the right thing by being unkind to yourself. That cannot be further from the truth. They say we are our own harshest critics... but today I'd like to tell you, be your own best friend. And I'll show you exactly how. I've Googled tips on how to stop beating ourselves down and I've compiled a short list below. You will realise that some of the tips begin with the word, "Stop"!
1. Stop trying to be super human!
I remember shouting this out to my friend while having this conversation! Ha Ha... it seems weird but please remind yourself, (shout it out if you have to!) that you cannot do everything right! You're simply human...and human is to error.
2. Stop focusing on the one tiny thing you did wrong!
We do this a lot... actually if you're like me and you are a bit of a perfectionist then you can't bare anything going wrong or not according to plan. So, when you find yourself worrying about that small thing you did wrong, please, stop and apologise to yourself!
3. Be kind to yourself
A great tip I found is that you can ask yourself the question, "If am willing to forgive others for their flaws, why not myself?" or if that doesn't work, think about it this way, "Would I say something hateful to someone I love, then why am I doing it to myself?".
4. Self-compliment yourselfAcknowledge any small achievement you make and give yourself a pat on the back, literally if you have to! You can make a list of the things you did well either daily or weekly...trust me you will love the feeling! You can even read them out like self affirmations!
5. Stop comparing yourself to others
Sometimes just the act of comparing ourselves to others puts us down and it doesn't have to be this way. So if you find yourself comparing yourself to another person...remind yourself that there is always going to be someone better than you at something and you cannot be good at everything.
6. Practice patience with yourselfThis may not be the easiest thing to do but it brings out good results. It's a commitment you make to try and be more good to yourself and remember that your life is a work in progress, you will get to your destination.
7. Mistakes can be opportunities
This is my favorite tip yet... take that mistake and turn it into an opportunity to get better! Our lives will always be full of mistakes, but we can always turn our disappointments to opportunities!
