How I Began Treating Myself More Nicely

One of my favorite African Proverbs is “When there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do you no harm.” I must admit. I am my toughest critic. People's words used to bother me so much because I was already so hard on myself as it is and the enemy outside was able to validate the criticism that was coming from the enemy within. Constructive criticism is great but you need balance. I was lacking that balance and it began to negatively impact my life. Here is how I reversed that.

I am My Biggest Believer

This is easier said than done. I had to believe that better was coming my way even when I couldn’t see it.  I just had to trust that good things were coming my way and sure enough, they were. The Law of Attraction ain’t no joke! Once I started visualizing, manifesting, and claiming the things I wanted, They started happening for me.  I also started manifesting the kind of woman I wanted to be. Every time I felt like procrastinating or laying around I would say to myself “I am prolific”. I kept labeling myself as “prolific” instead of a “procrastinator”. Then, sure enough, I began to notice how productive my days became. I get so much done in a day now.

I Started Saying No

I don’t agree to doing things I hate. If I don’t want to go out Friday night, I am not going to go. I used to let people guilt me into saying yes. I was being a people pleaser which is pretty much putting your happiness last for people who put theirs first.  I got so good at saying no, I stopped following up with an explanation.

I am Not Allowed to Insult Myself

If I made a mistake I would call myself “stupid”. If I couldn’t fit into my jeans the way I wanted to, I used to call myself “fat”. I stopped doing that. It wasn’t constructive, I was making myself feel bad, and I was speaking those things into existence. It’s funny, when I stopped calling myself fat, I realized that I was actually 10lbs lighter than what I was around the time I kept telling myself I was fat.

I Don’t Commit to Those Who Aren’t Committed to Me

I act accordingly to the relationship that is presented to me. If you are my associate, I don’t expect you to be there for me like how my best friend is there for me. I reciprocate that same energy. This may be a hard pill to swallow but we have different friendships for different purposes. We have work friends, best friends, associates, yoga class friends, online friends, and etc. They all serve us differently in our lives and our expectations should be aligned with that. It will save you a world of hurt.

I Give Myself Time to Work On My Dreams

I dreamed of this blog before it even happened. I started talking less and started moving more. Donating energy and time to my passions have been fulfilling. Seeing something you created and watching it evolve is therapeutic and makes you more confident walking into your purpose.

These few lifestyle changes benefited me so much. Try implementing these things into your life and watch it change for the better.