Often, our most merciless critic looks at us from the mirror. We are always ready to brand ourselves for any mistake we make or for not conforming to our own expectations.
Research shows that self-acceptance is the key to a happy life, but most people can’t do it. Where to start on the road to self-acceptance?
Get 8 Hours of Sleep
Sleep is one of the basic human needs, and yet one in three of us does not get enough sleep. And lack of sleep leads to diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, obesity and depression.
The need for sleep changes with age: adults from 18 to 64 years require 7-9 hours of sleep, and over 65 – 7-8 hours.
Find Workouts That Will Reward You, not Punish You
Why do people so often give up on the idea of joining a gym and not skipping a workout? Because they don’t really want to. It’s like with slots at nationalcasino.com/casino/slots. As there are lots of games on different topics, it can be hard to find the slot which is right for you.
Everyone knows the physical and mental benefits of exercise, but it’s hard to get the benefits when you’re doing something uncomfortable through sheer force. Find exercises that make you feel good, not feel like a punishment.
Be Aware of Your Negative Thoughts and Replace Them
A critic lives in your head, commenting on your every move: how you look, what you said wrong and where you are wrong again.
Often we repeat to ourselves negative attitudes given to us as early as our parents. But it’s possible to learn to recognize such thoughts and replace them with positive ones.
The first step is to acknowledge the thought (“Okay, I have that thought”). The second step is to recognize its negativity (“It’s a terrible thought. I don’t want to scold myself”). The third is to replace the thought with a positive one.
Keep a Journal in the Morning
Seeing your thoughts on paper is a great way to become aware of them. It’s also a good way to look inside yourself because most of the time you put energy out there.
If you haven’t kept a journal since you were in high school, start with something simple. Every day, write down what you feel grateful for.
Studies show that even a few minutes of feeling grateful a day makes a person feel better – and even their physical health!
Eat Foods That Nourish the Body and Mind
Who hasn’t snacked on a hard day of chips? Everyone knows that “binge eating” helps with stress, anger and loneliness. In recent years, however, experts have begun to lean toward the idea that it’s not us turning to food to correct our emotional state, but the food itself catalyzes that state.
Serotonin controls sleep, appetite, mood and pain protection. Almost 95% of all serotonin is produced in the gastrointestinal tract. So the digestive system not only digests food, but also directs your emotions!
So try to follow a balanced diet that provides enough nutrition for your body and brain. Simply put: more fruits and vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables and berries, because they are good for the brain. Fish and seafood are also good for cognitive abilities.
Make Your World Smaller
We spend a lot of time seeking approval from others, especially on social media. On average, 95 million photos and videos are posted and 4.2 billion likes are posted on Instagram every day.
Each like under our post or photo gives us a boost of dopamine, a substance that plays a role in the reward system. But that feeling of satisfaction is short-lived.
So it pays to take breaks and take a break from social media to spend more time alone with your thoughts.
Temporarily remove social networking apps from your phone, or use your phone only as a camera at rest to take a break from the outside noise and come to your senses.
Take 5 Minutes a Day to Meditate
If you’re jumping from case to case all day, it’s very easy to miss what’s going on around you.
Meditation helps you focus on the present moment. And meditation also allows you to look away from a stressful situation, increase self-awareness, lower negative feelings, and increase creativity.
There are many ways to meditate, but what they have in common is a quiet environment, a comfortable posture and deep, relaxed breathing. Five minutes of meditation a day will change your life-especially if you focus on loving yourself in those minutes!