10 Steps to Loving Yourself
10 Steps to Loving Yourself
1. Stop all criticism. Criticism never changes a thing. Refuse to criticize yourself. Accept yourself exactly as you are. Everybody changes. When you criticize yourself, your changes are negative. When you approve of yourself, your changes are always positive.
2. Don't scare yourself. Stop terrorizing yourself with your thoughts. It's a dreadful way to live. Find a mental image that gives you pleasure (like yellow roses or a waterfall), and immediately switch your scary thought to a pleasure thought.
3. Be gentle and kind and patient. Be gentle with yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be patient with yourself as you learn new ways of thinking. Treat yourself as you would someone you really loved.
4. Be kind to your mind. Self hatred is only hating your own thoughts. Don't hate yourself for having the thoughts. Gently change your thoughts.
5. Praise yourself. Criticism breaks down the inner spirit. Praise builds it up. Praise yourself as much as you can. Tell yourself how well you are doing with every little thing. Remember that recovery is a process; sometimes you will falter, slip into old, unhealthy behaviors, or fall back into self-destructive patterns. Don't give up and don't beat yourself up! Instead, remind yourself that the learning curve is never straight, and then get back on the right track. There is a difference between "slipping up" and being a failure!
6. Support yourself. Find ways to support yourself. Reach out to friends and allow them to help you. It is being strong to ask for help when you need it most.
7. Be loving to your negatives. Acknowledge that you created them to fulfill a need. Now you are finding new positive ways to fulfill those needs. So, lovingly release the old negative patterns.
8. Take care of your body. Learn about nutrition. What kind of fuel does your body need to have optimum energy and vitality? Learn about exercise. What kind of exercise can you enjoy? Cherish and revere the temple you live in.
9. Mirror work. Look into your eyes often. Express this growing sense of love you have for yourself. Forgive yourself while looking into the mirror. At least once a day say, "I love you, I really love you!"
10. DO IT NOW!! Don't wait until you get well, or lose the weight, or get the new job or the new relationship. Begin now-- and do the best you can!