7 Tiny Ways To Be Kind To Yourself In Just A Few Minutes A Day
There are deeper reasons why kindness makes for a happier life.
Marcelo Chagas / Pexels No matter what role you take on in life — parent, worker, caregiver, or anything in between — you may enjoy taking care of those around you, honoring them, and making their time with you pleasant and rewarding. If you think about it, wouldn't you want that for yourself as well?
But self-care is easier said than done. And to truly put it to practice, where the rubber hits the road, you have to practice self-kindness.
Here are 7 ways to be kind to yourself in just a few minutes each day
1. Start your day with a tiny, peaceful ritual
Maybe it's making a cup of tea and sipping it slowly while enjoying the dawn break into a sunrise. Maybe it's journaling, reading a book, or sitting there doing nothing at all. Enjoying the cool crisp air of an early morning with a cup of tea, for example, can set you up for the entire day ahead.
The world is yet to wake up before it gets busy. And there will be time to immerse yourself in the hustle and bustle, but beginning each morning with a peaceful ritual lets you be there for yourself and honor the divinity within.
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2. List four nice things in a journal every single day
Journaling in the morning even for 90 seconds and writing down four nice things that happened yesterday or a few days ago is a great way to set yourself up for a happier day. What you write, you remember.
Perhaps you carry your journal in your bag each day, looking at the four nice things to remind yourself of all that's good in your life. Life happens and will drag you down before you notice, so it's important to keep that reminder with you.
It has been shown that one negative thought is as potent as three positive thoughts. So, if you're going about your day with three happy thoughts, and you hear or see one negative thing, it will cancel out those three nice things you were carrying around in your memory bank.
Keep those four positive thoughts ready as ammunition every day, all the time, just in case you come across a negative sight or sound. It will cancel three of your thoughts, but one of them will still linger in your conscious mind, so you don't get dragged into the dumps of negativity.
3. Buy yourself flowers
Each time you go grocery shopping, buy yourself a small bouquet of flowers. You could also pluck one single flower near where you live, bring it home, and place it in a cup of water. These flowers will light up your soul each time you see them.
Flowers have beauty, fragrance, softness, sweetness, and purity. Glancing at them will remind you of these qualities that are true about you, too.
4. Prioritize outdoor time
Go out in nature at least three to four times a week. Even if they are short walks, through a neighborhood or in a nearby park, it's worth it and has incredible benefits.
Enjoy the people who walk past you by and smile at them. When you walk in nature, your endorphins (happy hormones) are flowing, which will heal your hurts, both physical and emotional.
Walking also helps you return to your equilibrium. Each step you take makes your balance shift on that side, and then the next step crosses your center and takes your balance to the other side.
For Buddhists, in particular, they practice walking meditation. You can align your breath and notice your steps as it lays on Mother Earth to be lifted shortly.
Take a pair of walking shoes so you can walk around and explore, even if you have been here before. A new set of eyes makes everything seem new and fresh. Let the world touch you, comfort you, and heal you. It's not a luxury, but a necessity.
5. Schedule time to be alone
There's nothing wrong with taking time to be with yourself, because it doesn't mean you're lonely, it just means you're prioritizing recharging. That means you could take a day trip, a two-day trip, a week-long, or even a month-long trip if you can work from anywhere and pay for it without getting into debt.
You could take a sister, a child, or a best friend along, as long as you're not in the habit of taking care of this person. If you're not fully there, where you do not need to take care of everyone around you, go on this trip on your own.
Spending time away from home on your own and lazing around is a great way to recharge your brain, your heart, and your nervous system.
6. Take a shower
End the day with a nice long shower or bath. It helps you truly wash off all the physical and emotional grime from the day so you can rest easy.
But showering is not just you washing the dirt off your body. A shower helps you emotionally cleanse yourself, and relax your mind and nerves. You remove not just the physical dirt from the day, but all the metaphorical crud weighing you down.
Consider an end-of-day shower a cleansing of sorts.
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7. Practice forgiveness
Finally, it's best to end the day by forgiving yourself for any shortcomings you may have made that day. It's normal and easy to dwell on the mistakes you may have made. But being kind to yourself means letting go and practicing forgiveness.
Self-forgiveness begins with recognizing your feelings and accepting them, not allowing yourself to push them down. Then, you take responsibility for your actions, remove negative self-talk, and release any feelings of shame or guilt.
At the end of the day, you're only human, so give yourself some grace. Not only will you feel more positive towards yourself, but you'll be able to redirect your energy to making changes for the better.
Why Treating Yourself Kindly is Important
Everyone deserves to be treated well. And you can't do it for others if you're not doing it for yourself.
Others can only treat you as well as you treat yourself. And you can only treat others as well as you treat yourself. And, if you're treating others better than you treat yourself, there is an unconscious expectation lingering in your care for others, which might, more often than not, create disappointments for yourself.
There are too many martyrs in history, and there's no need for you to add your name to that list. You might call yourself a giver, and most givers at some point give up in life and settle or fall ill. That's not a happy place to be in.
Self-care isn't a selfish act; in fact, self-care is the best care.
Keya Murthy M.S., C.Ht. is a clinical hypnotherapist, spiritual life coach, relationship coach, energy medicine practitioner at Ventura Healing Center, and author of 11 books.