Happy Halloween! It's finally the time for spooky decorations, trick or treating and horror movie marathons. But if there's anything we should learn to stop being afraid of this spooky season — it's putting ourselves first!
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As the saying goes, we're our own worst critic. It's so easy to be mean to ourselves, to put ourselves down for any mistakes we make, or to put our own needs aside for others'.
But being harsh to ourselves only makes things worse. It makes us unhappy and rarely makes us more motivated or more productive.
Instead, it's time to put yourself first and start treating yourself better! It may be easier said than done, but self love and treating yourself better is truly the trick to a happier life.
Reasons to treat yourself better
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1. Become more resilient
How do you react when you make a mistake or fail at something? Do you beat yourself up, or do you brush things off and try again?
When you learn how to treat yourself better, you're more likely to bounce back from failure and become more resilient to it! You'll grow to know how to give yourself time to acknowledge your feelings and recover from them much quicker.
2. Become more motivated
When you treat yourself better and give yourself time to get recharged, you'll be more energized and ready to tackle your responsibilities ahead!
Learn how to take care of your body and mind, so that you have the energy and motivation to get your tasks completed.
3. Feel happier!
Do you feel loved and happier when you're taken care of by others? The answer is probably yes — and so the same applies when you take care of yourself!
You have to become your own best friend and biggest supporter. Grow to understand your mind and soul so that you know what brings you the most happiness.
20 Small Ways To Treat Yourself Better
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Here are 20 small and inexpensive ways to start treating yourself better. It costs you nothing and requires but a small change in your routine, so why not get started today?
- Learn to accept compliments with a "thank you", whether you believe it or not
- Give compliments and be kinder to others
- Remember to reward yourself regularly
- Nourish your body by being more mindful about what you eat and staying active
- Give yourself permission to rest
- Dress well to give yourself a confidence boost everyday!
- Let yourself have fun and be silly. Sing, dance and twirl to your heart's content!
- Let yourself release negative emotions by crying, shouting, punching a pillow, etc.
- Learn to celebrate your wins, no matter how small
- Make your bed a sacred place; No work, scrolling through social media etc. in bed!
- Don't push away your negative emotions like sadness, anger and frustration. Acknowledge them and validate them, before you can cope with them!
- Pick up a new hobby, skill or interest to give yourself a goal to work towards
- Reframe your negative self-talk and change it into positive and motivational self-talk
- Don't take what others say personally. Their words reflect more on themselves than on you!
- Don't let anyone else tell you how or what to feel
- Schedule 15 minutes of "me time" into your calendar every day
- Learn how to say "no" when you don't want to say "yes"
- Embrace your imperfections, because you're perfect the way you are.
- Remember that there is only one you in this world, and that you deserve to be celebrated!
- Give yourself permission to love yourself and be loved
Let yourself have fun
Perhaps one of the best ways to treat yourself is to let your hair loose and have fun! It's fine to be serious about work and responsibilities, but it's equally important to let yourself laugh and have fun.
So this Halloween, why not get into the spooky mood by enrolling in our Halloween Coach program this spooky season? Journaling isn't all just about dealing with your feelings – it can be fun and lighthearted too!
So alongside your horror movie marathons and trick or treating, let yourself get into the spooky mood with these fun Halloween-themed journaling prompts!
All you have to do is download the Journey app and enroll our Halloween Coach program! You will then be sent daily prompts via the Stories function for easy access and answering.
Even if you don't have the tradition of trick or treating this Halloween, you should still make an effort to treat (not trick!) yourself! We hope that this article has inspired you to make some changes to your day-to-day life today.