It’s Be Kind to Humankind Week. When we think of kindness, we tend to think of how we treat others. We don’t necessarily think about being kind to ourselves.
Here’s why we tend to be kinder to others than ourselves. There are social and legal consequences if you’re not kind to others, but there aren’t any consequences if you’re mean to yourself. People may not know or even realize when you’re mean to yourself. If you criticize yourself and think poorly of yourself, your abilities, your body, and your intelligence, people may not hear what you’re seeing but can usually see the impact. For example, if you’re not happy or aren’t reaching your fullest potential, or if you don’t stand up for yourself.
Being kind to yourself is a way to take care of yourself, just like eating healthy, exercising, or getting enough sleep. When you’re kind to yourself, you’re taking care of your emotional, physical, and self-esteem, and you’re building up your resilience because not everyone will be kind to you. But, if your view of yourself is solid, then you’re like Teflon to the nastiness thrown your way.
Here are a few examples of how to be kinder to yourself.
- Have patience with yourself if you make a mistake or if it takes longer for you to do something or learn something new.
- Stop comparing yourself to others. Comparison is self-destruction and goes against your uniqueness.
- If someone rejects you for a job, date, or friendship, don’t internalize and automatically think it’s you.
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