Are you happy with yourself? Does life make you smile, or make you want to run a mile in the other direction?
We all want to help others and respect their wishes, but putting yourself first is an important step in creating balance in life. Happiness comes when we can give to others, but also when we treat ourselves well. Self respect means knowing what makes you happy and giving to yourself, as long as it’s healthy for you and others. It’s also about and knowing where you limits are and living within them.
Experts say, the more you make decisions that respect your inner wishes, wants and needs, the more others, in turn, will respect you.
Here are 5 steps in creating a world of balance and care, as suggested by positivelypresent.com:
1) Get in Touch with Yourself, Without Fear
Sometimes we wake up daily and go to a job we hate. Sometimes we do this for years. Sometimes we surround ourselves with people we feel will help us progress, but in actuality, they’re only hold us back. Sound familiar? Take some time each day to reflect on what you really want. This is a process. Putting fear aside can take time. Consider reading self help books to provide some insight and guidance to get where you want to be. Knowing what you want is integral to getting or giving it.
2) Surround Yourself with Good People
Another step towards respecting yourself is surrounding yourself with good people who are positive and who believe in you. If you find that you’re surrounded by ‘downers’, it can be hard to separate yourself from their opinions and vision.
Seek out positive influences one-by-one. Find those who are trying to pursue some of the same goals as you are, and find encouragement. Being surrounded by people who respect you and themselves is essential to treating yourself right.
3) Forgive Yourself
We aren’t perfect- no one is. Respecting yourself is also founded in forgiving yourself. So, you had a bad day. You snapped at a co-worker. We’ve all been there- you can’t turn back time, but you can explain and apologize and forgive yourself.
If you carry around negative attitudes of guilt, you project it onto others, who will in turn, have a hard time connecting with your positive side. Start fresh the next day. Everyone makes mistakes-the important thing is to learn from them, regain positivity and move forward.
4) Treat Your Body as Your Temple
Your body is your vessel, and you need it to be working well to feel good. It’s hard to feel positive emotionally if you are hurting physically. Exercise, eat well and most of all, allow yourself to sleep. It’s common to cut the corners on this one, but it’s important. Without the proper sleep, it’s hard to think straight, and our body has a hard time working as it should, too.
Get to bed early- think of it as your personal trip to a home spa.
5) Speaking About Yourself? Stay Positive
Self confidence comes from your reaction to the way other people treat you, which feeds the way you perceive yourself to be. When you speak, do you promote yourself, or downplay it? Do you feel comfortable saying you are good at something when you are, or do you find yourself talking negatively? Positive self-talk can be a good way to promote positive thoughts and vision. Keep it positive and keep it coming. It takes practice but it’s worth it.
Photo credit: AlessandroBiascioli/Shutterstock
