It’s the end of January. This is the perfect time for people to shed the New Year’s Resolutions that are spurned by self-hatred and replace them with resolutions fueled by self-love. Here are a few ideas to make the rest of your new year happy and healthy.
Forgive yourself
In my short life, I have learned that it’s hard to give others a second chance; it’s even harder to give yourself one. If you’ve experienced heartache, hopelessness or despair it’s easy to wallow in bitterness. But in order to make any change in your life, you have to be at peace with yourself.
Build others up
The strongest people build other people up rather than tear them down. I’m not saying that you have to be Mother Teresa and change someone’s life in a dramatic movie-esque way. But, showing people kindness and giving others strength is an amazing way to gain strength and good thoughts for yourself.
Be kind to yourself
For every time that you insult yourself, you have to give yourself a full-hearted compliment. It’s time to stop treating yourself like an enemy and start treating yourself like a friend. Open a note in your phone and try keeping track of one thing you like about yourself each day. This can be physical, but it can also be about your personality and intelligence.
Don’t punish yourself
So you ate a little bit too much. Or you totally bombed a test. In the grand scheme of things, beating yourself up does little to help your situation. In 2018, you should work on learning from your lessons rather than beating yourself up over them. (See first resolution if you need a refresher.)
Forgive others
When somebody wrongs you, they do it to you. Likewise, when you forgive someone, you do it for yourself. People tend to think that forgiveness is about releasing the other person from guilt. Actually, the release of thoughts and anger about someone benefits you. You don’t even have to tell them you forgive them in order to experience the relief of forgiveness.