by Chef K.T. Murphy
Let’s face it, we all have days where we feel less than perfect about ourselves. Our hair just doesn’t seem to fall right, or our clothes are ill-fitting. Although the occurrence of viewing ourselves in a less than ideal manner is natural, the feeling shouldn’t linger.
Sadly, thousands of individuals, unfortunately, feel negative about themselves; albeit their appearance or current circumstance.
In fact, Dr. Joe Rubino, the author of The Self Esteem Book, reported that over 85% of the world’s population suffers from having a low self-esteem. This statistic leaves us with a world full of beautiful people who are unable to see their beauty for themselves.
Are we all doomed to live and die in an unhappy state? HaHa
Fortunately, the battle of esteem can easily be won. Humans are creatures of habit. How can you overcome a pesky habit? By taking action. Negative self-thinking is a learned habit that can be conquered by changing the way you think. With a few tips and tricks, you’ll be able to heighten your opinion of yourself and live a life of purpose.
Repeat Daily Self-Affirmations
Self-affirmations are an excellent way to identify your strengths. In fact, a research study found that individuals who practiced positive thinking after receiving a serious diagnosis of an illness were able to process the information and develop positive coping strategies.
One excerpt reads, “Two recent sets of research findings suggest that positive beliefs and experiences increase attention to useful self-relevant negative information and thus may facilitate effective coping.”
If positive self-thinking can assist with life-altering illnesses, surely it can help you to develop a positive self-image.
How do you practice self-affirmations?
It’s simple, repeat to yourself reasons why you love yourself. Many like to stare in the mirror and list their positive qualities daily. Others find success with writing down five to ten of their favorable traits in a notebook. The key here is to focus on what you appreciate about yourself; not others. Once you’ve gotten into the habit of feeding your mind with positivity, you will find that the previous negative voice will be silenced. Changing your thinking is crucial if you want to raise your self-esteem. You have to believe you are great in order to exude it.
Live Well
Living well isn’t limited to engaging in exciting activities or making tons of cash. It’s a deeper connection to your body, mind, and spirit. The foods you consume have a lot to do with your moods. In fact, foods high in dairy and processed sugars are recipes for disaster if you’re trying to think positively. Being mindful of what you put into your body will make you glow from the inside out!
In addition to eating well, engaging in some sort of physical activity is beneficial to your overall health. Getting outside and taking in the sun will boost your serotonin, also known as, the happy chemical in your brain. When you take care of your body, you’ll see changes in how you view yourself. You’ll become stronger both mentally and physically.
Choose Your Company Wisely
Self-esteem starts from within. However, surrounding yourself with positive people will only encourage you to continue to think happy thoughts about yourself. Choosing companions who honor your strengths and acknowledge how great you create a healthy space. The danger in attempting to improve your self-esteem while surrounding yourself with negative people is that their mentality will eventually rub off on you.
You’ll begin to live in that space of negative thinking without even realizing the repercussions. People who inspire you, motivate you and challenge you are friends that will support your esteem. They respect you, so they would never intentionally attempt to taint your character. After you’ve established a firm hold on how you view yourself, it will be easy to attract like-minded people who think similarly.
You have to live with yourself for the rest of your life. Why not make the experience a great one! We all have so many unique talents and opportunities to give to the world. It’s only right that we see the beauty we possess within ourselves.
By making the above tips a form of habit, you’ll be well on your way to improving how you see yourself and living a purpose-filled life. Change little things. Like the song says, Put one foot in front of the other, and soon you will be walking out the door…. Please remember you can’t Change the past but you can change the future you just have to try and go for it!!!
XoxoX
Chef Murph
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