“You’re going to do great things, even if they’re small, they’ll add up to something phenomenal. You’re beautiful in every way. Be kind to others because that’s how you show your heart. You’ve got it. You’re worth it!”
Have you ever heard the phrase “kill them with kindness”? We’re taught to be kind and to respect other people, so why should it be any different talking to yourself with kindness? At a young age, people will start critiquing you and though they may not mean to, they kind of make you hard on yourself. They can make you feel like you aren’t worthy of admiration because you could be doing something better, or you could look differently. The biggest one I’ve struggled with is my body image. From such a young age, my family would comment on how small my butt was, how I was either too fat or too skinny, the acne on my face, etc. In turn, it made me feel like I wasn’t ever going to be good enough and I wasn’t worthy of being called beautiful.
This kind of talk can be countered though. We are so hard on ourselves nowadays, especially as adults. We’re at a time in our life where finding someone to settle down with is key in making the world go round, right? So if you aren’t comfortable and confident about your own skin, how can we shine our lights to everyone else?
Every morning I give myself a pep talk in my head, and sometimes I’ll do it aloud if I really need the motivation. I compliment myself on 3 things: physical, mental, and emotional. I tell myself that I look beautiful today, and say something like, “your hair looks great today!” or “hey your blemishes cleared up!” for my physical aspect. I tell myself that I am intelligent, and say something like, “you’re going to do great at work today!” or “you will get this project done today because you work hard!” And lastly, I tell myself that I am strong, and compliment myself on how I’ve held myself together through it all, and how having these diagnoses aren’t life ending. “You are strong, you are resilient.”
Being a hard critic on yourself can be good for growth, but it doesn’t always have to be that way. You have to give yourself some good lovin’ too. There’s no doubt in my mind that your day will be better off after giving yourself a great pep talk. Trust me.
Love, Jaclyn & Co.
