As young females, a lot of unwarranted pressures and societal stereotypes are thrust upon us, directly and indirectly. Whether its how we dress or how we act, many times these ‘standards’ or ‘ways society thinks’ can be hard to comprehend, but most importantly hurt our view of self-worth and respect. Although some of these judgements seem unnecessary and unprecedented, the most significant take away are how we continue motivating and positively uplifting ourselves. These are some things I have personally found helpful to keep an optimistic mindset of self-worth and motivate yourself more.
- Create a Routine for Yourself
This step might seem super self-explanatory, but in my personal experience this is by far the most important part of creating positive thoughts towards yourself. By waking up at a specific time, this pushes you to make a list, achieve goals, and find the time to accomplish tasks. This also can give you the valuable time to put on some extra makeup or put on a favorite item of jewelry or clothing to make yourself feel that much better. I have come to realize that the infamous phrase ‘you look good, you feel good’ is super truthful, even if its something super miniscule. Just as we want people to value and respect our time, we must implement these same requirements to ourselves. Personally, I create a small list of tasks I would like to achieve each morning and try to maintain a specific time to wake up-all of which include a huge cup of coffee in the AM.
- Invest in Yourself
Another infamous phrase ‘treat yourself’ constantly plays through my head whenever I am looking into purchasing products for myself. I think investing in yourself, whether it is a clothing item you have had your eye on for a while or a bag of your favorite candy, is essential to uplifting oneself. It shows that you are a main priority, and your wants and desires are being heard by the most important person-YOU. Investing in yourself can also mean giving yourself quality time and reassurance; this can be a nice walk inside your favorite park or journaling goals you want to achieve for the year. Investing time, money, effort, and (as cheesy as it sounds) love towards yourself will only set you up for success.
- Find a Hobby
Personally, I have found that when others ask what hobbies I enjoy, I tend to get flustered and question what I do with my free time. However, a hobby is not one set thing and can be identified as anything you enjoy doing regularly; whether it is working out, drawing, cooking, tidying your house, taking pictures of your friends-the list truly goes on. This can give you a goal to achieve within that hobby and give yourself quality time to achieve them. It also can act as a stress reliever, as all your thoughts are focused on the hobby itself rather than harshly critiquing yourself. I have found working out to be a wonderful hobby personally as I can push myself to do more and maintain a healthy mental and physical state of mind (getting outdoors is also extremely nice and motivating).
Overall, as women, we are constantly viewing the ‘bigger and better’ thing, and constantly self-critiquing minute details, especially appearance base. Its important that we realize that we are all going to have off days, including those we view to a higher regard. Although completely normal, I find it to be important that we must invest the time and attention towards ourselves.