We All Deserve To Care For Our Minds

Self Love!!!

In this age of social media, comparing yourself to others can impact on your self-esteem.
Many of us have limiting beliefs about ourselves in at least one area of our lives. These limiting beliefs can lead to a decrease in self-esteem or confidence, or they might affect our choices. You may be thriving in one area of your life, but in other areas you lack confidence for a variety of reasons.

People are often confused about what it means to have self-esteem. Some think it has to do with the way you look or how popular you may appear.

Others believe that having a slim body will help you gain selfesteem, while others think you need to have accomplished something grand in order to have good self-esteem. To me, selfesteem simply means appreciating yourself for all that you are, right now.

Be mindful of your internal dialogue
Positive internal dialogue is a big part of improving your self-esteem. Many of us say things to ourselves we would never dream of saying to another person. Really think about the conversations you have with yourself. Is your internal dialogue, kind, constructive, inspiring or empowering?

Catch yourself if you hear judgemental phrases like ''I look disgusting'', ''I look old'', ''I hate my hair'', ''I'm not good enough'' or ''I'm a failure'' and begin to explore replacing these thoughts with more positive statements. To begin with you will catch yourself falling back into old negative habits, but with regular effort you can gradually start to replace this internal dialogue.
If you don't like the what's being said, change the conversation – only you have the ability to do this.

Be kind to your body
This body is your vehicle for life. It supports you, it may have helped you carry children, and it allows you to experience the wonder of the world. Stand in front of your mirror and find one lovely feature, internal or external – hair, lips, the light in your eyes – it doesn't matter. It can be a confronting exercise, but far too often we criticise our bodies without giving gratitude for the gifts they give us.

When you look in any mirror, don't leave it until you can take away a positive picture. It is your perception of reality that may be damaging your confidence level and your view is not necessarily reality.

Learning to love yourself is the best beauty tip of all. As Audrey Hepburn so elegantly said: ''For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.''

Unfortunately, many women take care of their homes, pets, partners, children and essentially everyone around them at the expense of caring for their own bodies and even their own health.

Practise self-love daily in whatever way you are drawn to: read a book you love, make yourself a nourishing smoothie, walk with a friend, simply stand outside on the grass with the sun on your face, write in your journal or draw/paint/sew. Looking after your creativity can be as essential for your self-esteem as looking after your physical body.

Comparison is exhausting
With the popularity and prevalence of social media, too many people are exhausting themselves with comparisons. Spending energy on trying to be something that you're not, or fighting day in and out for someone else's approval is a surefire way to deplete self-esteem.

If you struggle with insecurity, it may be because you are comparing your behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel. Really think about that.

Change your body language
This is not an anatomical conversation about posture, but simply to point out that how you hold yourself impacts the way you feel about yourself and your energy. Try it. Slump your shoulders. Let your head hang forward, face down. Stay like that, walk around like that for a few minutes. Do you feel confident and energised?

Now pull your shoulders back, hold your head up, stand upright and face forward. Spend a few minutes like that. Which posture offers you more energy? The upright posture, of course. Become so conscious of how you hold yourself. Stand up tall and lose the weight of the world off your shoulders.