Do you regularly cheer and clap for others? Do you spend time supporting and actively listening to others?
Do you take the time to celebrate yourself?
The chances are you could be doing more to celebrate everything you are. Although you shouldn’t stop supporting those you love, you need to have a little bit for yourself too.
How do you celebrate yourself?
Do things that make you happy!
If you love to make bread in the late hours of the evening -do it. If you treat your body as a work of art and have tattoos and piercings, treat yourself to that tattoo session or new ear weights.
It might be as simple as taking photos of flowers and sharing them on your Instagram.
Whatever makes you happy, make more room for it in your life. You deserve it.
Photo by De’Andre Bush on Unsplash
Kick back
Are you on the go 24/7? Running around and feeling like you just don’t get enough time to yourself?
You have to kickback. While some people thrive on pressure, speed, and living life at 100 miles per hour, others need more downtime.
Find your balance and make it work for you.
Downtime doesn’t have to be expensive or very active at all. Invite your friends over for a coffee, give your best friend a phone call, or get stuck into your personal projects that have been set aside for too long.
Find the things that fill you up on an emotional and mental level, but require no physical energy, and you’ll soon feel the benefits of that downtime.
Own it
How many times have you been given a compliment and brushed it off? You have created a delicious meal, your work project was outstanding, or you just look great today.
Someone pays you a compliment, and you say:
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Not only are you downplaying your efforts, but over time this will reinforce to you that what you did is nothing.
When you get a compliment, start accepting them. Simply say “thank you!”.
Deflection can be damaging to everyone. Let yourself feel good about what you are being thanked for.
Feeling fancy
If you have a stack of clothes that you only use for ‘best,’ think about the last time you go to wear them. Saving things for best means the items we love the most rarely get a spin out.
Dress up for no reason other than you want to.
Get used to putting on clothing and accessories that make you feel good.
Dressing up improves our mood; when we feel like we look good, we feel good too. Keep that going every day by wearing what you really love.
Plants and flowers
There is something wonderful about fresh flowers and plants. If you work from home or are in your home a lot, then surround yourself with plants and flowers.
If you don’t have green thumbs, then fake plants will still have the same mental impact, with zero maintenance (you might need to dust them once in a while).
The key here is to buy flowers for yourself – after all; you don’t need anyone else to lift your spirits when you have the control here.
Wandering
Most of us never explore the places that we live the closest to. Cities are filled with hidden restaurants, museums, and other fun things.
Take yourself out for the day with the aim of exploring somewhere that you haven’t been before.
Google a few locations, choose one based on the highest reviews, book a ticket or check opening times and plan a day just for yourself.
Of course, this might be the perfect time for you and your best friend to dress up and both head out feeling great.
Remember to take plenty of photos, and even make notes about cool facts or the names of the places that you visited.
There is a particular joy in doing this by yourself, as it forces you to exit your comfort zone for a while.
Journal
Start writing down things that you have achieved. We all have a habit of playing down our accomplishments.
When we play down our accomplishments, we minimize them to ourselves and to others around us. Over time this leads us to believe what we are doing doesn’t have real value.
Use your journal to write down three things that you have achieved every day. It can be things like putting the washing away, securing a new client, or making a start on that new hobby we wanted to get into.
Write it down, and be proud of it.
You can take this further and write down things that you are grateful for too.
Celebrate yourself in as many ways as you can, but remember, the more you do it, the better you get at it!
