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Have an Attitude of Gratitude!
I just realized something the other day. I have come to think of myself in a very derogative way. I am constantly putting myself down, thinking in descriptive words like fat, slow, clumsy, sad, tired, ugly, lonely, alone, sore, stiff, old…. I have forgotten to celebrate all of the wonderful things that make me special.
It’s so easy for us to abuse ourselves. We have a lot of years of practice. But if you are what you think, isn’t it important to think good things? There are so many wonderful things about you and I. I was an amazing person before I gained this weight. I still am. You are too. Shouldn’t we take time to recognize and appreciate the very things that make us who we are?
Have you ever heard the expression, "She doesn’t take very good care of herself"? Does that describe you? What kind of an image does that bring into your mind? Now what about these… "She doesn’t take very good care of her baby daughter" or "He doesn’t take very good care of his dog" or "They don’t take very good care of each other".
What kinds of images do those statements bring to your mind. When you think of not taking care of your child, why would you not feel the same way about yourself. Treating yourself badly is abuse that you inflict on yourself day after day. you become what you think, and other people will treat you the way you treat yourself often. What if good healthy eating and exercise wasn’t a punishment, but a gift that you give yourself every day? what if you told yourself good things every day? I mean, would you tell your daughter she was fat and ugly every day of life?
I think we need to first love ourselves the way we want others to love us. The way we love and care for our children, our pets, and our most valuable possessions. I love my children so very much. I am proud of them, and I see their imperfections, but I love those too because their imperfections are perfectly meant to be there, delivered to them by God (the universe or whatever your belief is). If they were perfect then life would have no purpose or meaning for them.
It is time to treat yourself well. Learn to love yourself, and ‘take care of’ yourself. Learn to adore those love handles as perfect imperfections. Learn to love a fresh garden tomato, or a sprig of asparagus or that live fresh salad of sprouts and peppers as a gift that you are giving the body you love. Nourish your body with good things, and nourish your soul with love.
It is also important to be thankful for all of the good in our lives. If you have appreciation for all of the blessings in your life, then you leave little room for the stuff that isn’t perfect. Cultivating gratitude also brings a feeling of peace and well-being, and it opens your heart and body for receiving and giving love. Love is an emotion which nurtures, and heals, and will put you in the right frame of mind to look after yourself.
I have a coach that I admire and respect very much. She asked me to do an exercise. It is an exercise of "I" statements. A list of 100 statements about me, starting with ‘I’. Statements that express all of the wonderful things about who I am as a person. Statements that have no judgement. Statements that describe the good things about me. Here’s mine… I am going to encourage you to do the same thing.
I AM:
- fun
- happy
- outgoing
- nurturing
- smart
- caring
- sexy
- pretty
- alert
- nice
- loving
- lovable
- interesting
- business minded
- intelligent
- amazing
- thin inside
- a wonderful mother
- a faithful and loving wife
- loyal
- strong
- kind
- excited
- exciting
- motivational
- inspirational
- a good friend
- an animal lover
- a good swimmer
- well read
- dependable
- punctual
- reliable
- a good cook
- an adoring daughter
- classy
- persistent
- assertive
- attentive
- a good writer
- a great web designer
- an entrepreneur
- creative
- joyfilled
- grateful
- soft
- solid
- happily married
- empathetic
- sympathetic
- nature lover
- becoming healthy
- astute
- knowledgable
- intuitive
- mild
- spicy
- dancing inside
- glamorous
- sassy
- a diva
- comfortable
- warm
- beautiful
- vivacious
- curvy
- stunning
- attractive
- noticeable
- naughty
I HAVE
- nice eyes
- a great attitude
- a wonderful family
- nice legs
- creative talent
- ability to learn fast
- a home we designed ourselves
- pride
- gratitude
- appeal
- good taste
- flair
- style
- abundance
- charity
- consideration of others
- good observation skills
- good people skills
- style
- rhythm
- a nice tan :-)
- smooth skin
- a bubbly laugh
- cats that I love
- an appreciation of nature
- friends who love me
- nice curly hair
- appreciation
- appetite
- A love for myself
So I ran out of "IAM’s" and added some I HAVE’S which I think are just as good. Try it yourself and see if you don’t finish up feeling really good about yourself and the people you love!
Many Blessings,
Shelley
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[...] sent to me. (I’m hooked now and have ordered some guilt-free), and I wrote a post about gratitude. I posted an article about toxins as well, AND on top of all that I wrote my first (of [...]
Thank you so much for this article.
As I read it, I kept thinking to myself “this is me”. I spend so much time taking care of everyone else in my family that I end up neglecting myself.
I am going to take the time tonight to write down my list of 100 statements about me and print them out and hang them where I can see them every day.
Thanks again!
EJ Cooksey
This is such a wonderful post and so important. Too often we get so bogged down in the guilt and self-blame and negative attitudes about ourself. It makes it hard to move forward and can even be paralyzing.
Gratitude and learning to look for the positive can be a powerful way out of that trap and the exercise you shared is a great way to get the wheels turning in that direction.
Thanks for inviting me to be a part of your community–I’m glad to be here :-)
Melissa McCreery
http://www.endingemotionaleating.blogspot.com (aka Peace With Cake)
That hundred “I” statements exercise is a good one.
Your point is very well taken, too, about treating ourselves as well as we treat others. When I get a client who is always helping others but doesn’t take care of themselves, I remind them that they are just as valuable as any other human being and give them permission to be good to themselves.