5 Ways To Be Kind To Yourself Today | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

5 Ways To Be Kind To Yourself Today

Being kind to yourself is just as important as being kind to others.

5
5 Ways To Be Kind To Yourself Today
Peter Roome

Think of this article as the little voice in the back of your mind telling you to appreciate yourself, reminding you to take care of yourself, and demanding you be kind to yourself.

1. Stop Punishing Yourself for Old Mistakes

If there is one thing I could ask of you today, it’s to please forgive yourself for old mistakes. It is a poisonous habit to continually punish yourself for past errors. All that does is mire you in negativity and prevent yourself from moving on and learning from the mistake.

There is no need to keep punishing yourself for old mistakes. I know I still do this sometimes, but it’s not fair to put yourself through the self degradation for something that happened in the past. Forgive yourself and move on from the things you don’t have control over. You can forgive yourself and please take this as a personal request from me to you.

2. Treat Yourself

You work hard. In whatever you do, your career, your hobbies, or your passions—you kick ass. So it’s about time you start rewarding yourself for the things you do well and learn from the things you didn’t do so well. Whether it’s a chocolate bar, a glass (or bottle) of wine, or another episode of that show you’re binge watching on Netflix, treat yourself! Because you deserve it.


This doesn’t always have to be at the end of a long day, but even at work or studying, treat yourself to a minute's rest and then go back when you are feeling more refreshed. This will work wonders on your state of mind and replenish your motivation!

3. Don’t Make Today a Competition

Please don’t make today a competition with anything or anyone. I’ve had mornings where I competed with my scale, the ideas of what my body should look like, and so much more—and I had to convince myself that isn’t important and it’s also not fair to myself. I had to learn to stop competing with things that don’t matter.

How could I spend those 10 minutes in the morning being upset with the number on the scale differently? How about eat breakfast and concern myself with more positive things? And that time I waste in the evening feeling terrible about the way my body looks? I could be cooking dinner, relaxing, or spending more time with the people who love me.

Removing the competition in your life will free up so much time in your day for things that you care about.

4. Take a Break

If you’re doing something really mentally taxing, take a break! Restore some of your sanity and grab a coffee/tea/etc. and let your mind wander to wherever it needs to that isn’t work. I promise it will do wonders for your mental health and happiness.


Taking a break isn’t procrastination or being lazy, it’s taking the time to restore what that task has taken from you. Your mental and physical health will thank you for every break you take because your body needs time to replenish itself.

5. Find the Victories

This is my personal favorite in being kind to yourself. Find the victories as they come. On a really hard day and I’m feeling completely worn out, I remember to celebrate the day’s victories like: I remembered to take a break for lunch, I finished that really tough project, and I still managed to hold onto my sanity today. Finding and celebrating those victories is super important to being kind to yourself. Not everybody can be a superhuman everyday, so celebrate the little things as they come.


Part of finding the victories is understanding the importance of realistic expectations. When a day has been great and you’re on a roll from what you’ve done, those victories are going to feel like gold medals. But when a day comes around that you could barely manage or you had to give up on, remember there are still victories in those days too.

Please don’t just find the time in the day to be kind to yourself, make it a part of your everyday routine to appreciate just how amazing you are.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Lifestyle

Moana's Top 10 Life Tips

"Moana" is filled with life lessons that involve far more than finding true love as many other Disney movies do.

36691
Animated image of a woman with long dark hair and tattoos
StableDiffusion

1. It's easy to be fooled by shiny things.

Digital image of shiny gemstones in cased in gold. shiny things StableDiffusion

Tamatoa created a liar filled with shiny things simply for the purpose of tricking fish to enter and become his food. He too experiences a lesson in how easy it is to be tricked by shiny things when Moana distracts him by covering herself in glowing algae so Maui can grab his hook.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

7 Types Of Students You Will Meet In College

You wish you could be #5, but you know you're probably a #6.

17507
cool group of lazy college students in class
StableDiffusion

There are thousands of universities around the world, and each school boasts its own traditions and slogans. Some schools pride themselves on sports, while others emphasize their research facilities. While there is a myriad of differences among each and every school, there will always these seven types of students in class.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

15 Rhyme Without Reason Greek Life Function Ideas

When you have no ideas for what to wear to this date function

318589
A dog and a frog
Healthy Pets

I am going to a rhyme without reason date function and I have looked at so many different rhyming words and I figured there need to be a new list of words. At these functions, there are usually at least two rockers and boxers and an umpteenth amount of dogs and frogs. I have come up with a list of creative and unique ideas for these functions.

If you like what you see, get a shopping cart going with these costumes.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Yoga love

A long over due thank you note to my greatest passion.

31007
A person in a yoga pose surrounded by a supportive community of fellow yogis with a look of peace and gratitude on their face the image should convey the sense of strength mindfulness and appreciation that the writer feels towards yoga
StableDiffusion

Dearest Yoga,

You deserve a great thank you.

Keep Reading...Show less
Arts Entertainment

Epic Creation Myths: Norse Origins Unveiled

What happened in the beginning, and how the heavens were set in motion.

11260
The Norse Creation Myth

Now, I have the everlasting joy of explaining the Norse creation myth. To be honest, it can be a bit kooky, so talking about it is always fun. The entire cosmos is included in this creation myth, not just the earth but the sun and the moon as well. This will be a short retelling, a summary of the creation myth, somewhat like I did with Hermod's ride to Hel.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments