One of the most important things we can do is take care of ourselves. This is because when even the most selfless people are capable of looking after number one, they become even better at caring for other people, too. So, when you invest in yourself, you don’t just invest in who you are. You also invest in the experience of everyone around who has to deal with you, from the person in the bakery who welcomes your rosy disposition in the morning, to your colleagues, your family, your romantic partner, and those you’re yet to meet.
Of course, the most important part of caring for yourself is caring for your health in the best possible capacity you have. But health is more than just your physicality, but also your mental care, including but not limited to the vast array of perspectives you have about the world and yourself. Surely, it’s hard to pick these out one by one trying to artificially change your thinking, but it can be good to learn better habits and more positive self-regard through a range of helpful practices that get you there.
In this post, we hope to discuss what those are, and why they matter:
Take Back Your Style
For many, taking back their style is an intrinsic part of who they are and who they hope to be. After having children, dealing with an intensive job, or going through a bad breakup, it can be that some of us forget that self-expression is something that helps us feel confident and actualized – or perhaps we’ve simply been much too busy to deal with that.
Taking back your style in a way that allows you to express yourself, such as wearing new belly bars, dying your hair, refitting certain elements of your wardrobe, or trying new accessories, can help you feel renewed and open to the future, knowing that how you dress is a perfect reflection of who you are now, be that a formal, neat appearance that denotes your professionalism at work, or street styles that help influence your cool hippy-nature-at-heart, don’t be afraid to reset your wardrobe a little, and most importantly, to have fun doing it.
Set Well-Meaning Goals
It’s worthwhile to set well-meaning goals to the extent that you can relate to your fitness and self-worth. This way, you can stop comparing yourself to everyone else and instead regard the progress you’re making as an intrinsic and worthwhile part of who you are.
For instance, it’s hard to feel negative about yourself if you’ve gone for a swim three times in the last week, have exercised, or are keeping up with your yoga and meditation schedule. This approach to self-care is a direct investment in you, improving your health, posture, mental focus and clarity, and willingness to take some time out to reduce stress. It’s not hard to see why a direct investment in yourself, such as this, provides you with a route to reinforce your positive self-image.
Compare Yourself To You
It’s very easy to compare yourself to other people. But the truth is, there’s always going to be a bigger fish. It’s not healthy to compare ourselves to those who may have been more fortunate, or capable, or starting out in life in a better position than we did. It’s not worthwhile to compare ourselves to people who are functioning less capably than us either, as we can never know their actual situation or circumstances.
We can compare ourselves to ourselves, however. It’s funny, when we do this, thinking of who we were yesterday and how we’ve grown, we begin to use fair criteria for our own critical considerations. Automatically, you begin to feel a little lighter, and a little less vindictive, even when you make mistakes.
Permit Yourself Some Fun
You’re never going to be perfect. That’s great news, because can you imagine how boring that would be? Who would ever want to be perfect? That means you’re permitted to have some fun when you need to – such as eating that birthday cake at a friend’s party or going out with your girlfriends or colleagues to the bar from time to time.
As long as the broad progress of your self-investment, or your health maintenance, and your well-meaning style and fashion are positive and healthy, over time, you’ll be feeling better and better, without having to dismiss yourself or overdo the self-discipline. This keeps your efforts sustainable.
With this advice, you’re certain to reassert your positive self-image in the best possible light.
