The most effective way to inspire someone is to highlight and enhance their strengths and positives. Be a role model for someone who practices self-care, but most importantly, avoid emphasizing their personal troubles. So, if you’re someone in need of some self-love or simply want to set an example for someone else, you’re sure to discover how to do it here. These are not ineffective tips but rather strategies you can implement today that can truly make a difference.
What does self-care mean?
Firstly, let’s refer to it as your relationship with yourself instead. It’s less abstract and more accurate. Because what we’re really talking about is treating yourself as you would treat a friend and asking, „How are you?”
Rate your self-relationship on a scale of 1 to 10 (if it’s already a 10, you probably don’t need any self-care advice!). If you struggle to assign a number, consider the behaviors that make you feel bad and work on improving them. Are you becoming more compassionate towards yourself? Or do you feel empowered and capable? Instead of asking, „Why should I do this?” say to yourself, „You can do this.”
Think of it this way:
If you had to repeat your inner dialogue—the words you say to yourself—as advice to your friends, would you have any friends left? Perhaps a few jailbreakers, or maybe not, and that’s okay. We’ve all been hard on ourselves at some point. But let’s get this straight: If you haven’t made time for your internal conversation, now is the time to do so. It’s not something you should neglect because it’s literally the key to success. Being trapped in negative thoughts and beliefs leads to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, diminished confidence, and an overall unhappy life experience. So yes, it’s incredibly important!
„Self-talk is the most important thing. Most of us have a very dangerous inner dialogue. I use my inner talk to make myself better, stronger. Self-talk comes from self-belief. It won’t work if you don’t believe in yourself,” said David Goggins, an ultramarathon runner.
Just how harmful can thoughts be?
Your brain doesn’t distinguish between an actual event and a thought. That’s why you feel anxious when you think about public speaking or your mouth waters when you imagine biting into a lemon. If you engage in negative self-talk every day, your brain’s neural pathways will strengthen and solidify into this way of thinking, almost on autopilot.
The longer you dwell on something, the more your subconscious mind will take it as truth. In this way, you unconsciously build a belief system that influences your actions and reactions each day. This is because the brain is adaptable—it changes and adjusts. When we repeatedly think the same thoughts, these pathways become stronger and become the new normal. „Neurons that fire together wire together.” – Donald O. Hebb
This is the first and most crucial thing to understand if you want to have a healthy relationship with yourself. You don’t have to „fall in love with yourself,” but you must accept yourself with all your flaws and create new positive thought patterns that will propel you forward.
How can I become aware of what I’m saying to myself? Shifting your focus from the external world to the internal world, inner dialogue, or mental conversation is crucial to understanding what you’re saying to yourself. It’s challenging but possible. The difficulty arises because it’s not something we typically learn in school or from our parents.