Are You Too Tough On Yourself?

Sometimes we are our own worst enemy! While we tend to treat our friends with love and kindness, we’re often much tougher on ourselves.

Think back to the last time you helped a friend through something tough—maybe a breakup or a work/life decision. You were probably supportive, likely calm, and perhaps open-minded.

Now, think back to one of your own recent challenges—a stressful situation, or a snub from a family member. Chances are, your mindset was anything but calm and self-forgiving!

While we tend to treat our friends with love and kindness, we often treat ourselves with self-criticism. Sadly our culture even supports that being hard on oneself is the way to be. But this is wrong. Treating yourself kindly can boost your health and happiness. You would never let a child eat 20 candy bars because you care about them. Likewise, with self-compassion, if you care about yourself, you do what’s healthy for you rather than what’s harmful to you. So let's become our own best cheerleaders. Don’t beat yourself up! If you notice you’re being tough on yourself, use it as a red flag to switch into friend mode.

This Week's Focus:

This week, consider it a red flag when you catch yourself being tough on yourself. Switch to being calm and supportive as you would be to a friend.