15 Ways to Be Kind to Yourself This Year
As moms, we get used to choosing everyone else first. We buy our kids new clothes while we wear the pants we bought two years ago. We snack on whatever bland or unhealthy food our kids have agreed to eat for lunch that day. We put off our fitness goals because we are so busy making sure everyone else is taken care of.
This year, it is time to choose you. It’s time to make choices that are kind to yourself.
I’ve partnered with KIND® Snacks to share my goals for this year. After having twins and being side-tracked by a few chaotic life events, I’m ready to get back on track. 2016 will be my year to “Live KIND. every day™,” which means doing the KIND thing for my body, my taste buds, and my world.
There are easy things you can do every day to be kind to yourself. Even if you just pick one thing every single day, it’s a step in the right direction to help you choose YOU.
Be Kind to Yourself. Do at least one of these things every single day.
- Go to bed early. Are you staying up late to finish work or tasks around the house? Are you staying up to get some time to veg out? Maybe you are just staying up because you are too tired to get ready for bed. Whatever the reason, choose to be kind to your morning-self and go to bed early, at least one night a week. You’ll be amazed at how much better you will feel when you are rested.
- Read a book. Not the kind of book you are reading to improve yourself, just a good old escapist book that you can get so absorbed with you forget everything that is going on around you.
- Exercise. It’s hard to feel like yourself when you aren’t taking care of your body. No matter how busy you are, stop what you are doing at least once a day and get moving. A short run or walk will do wonders for clearing your mind when you are stressed.
- Do Something you’ve been putting off. We all have those things that we aren’t thrilled to do. Check at least one of them off your to-do list today so you can stop worrying about it. It will probably take you less time than you think it will.
- Drink plenty of water. No one feels their best when they are dehydrated. If you aren’t in the habit of drinking enough water try a few tricks. Set a timer to remind yourself to drink a glass of water. Keep a water bottle on your desk so it’s within reach. Keep track of the amount of water you drink so you can tell when you need to drink a bit more (our printable daily planner includes a section for tracking your water).
- Do something for someone you love. Being kind to yourself means you work on being the person you want to be. You probably can’t do that without reaching out to others. Find a way to serve someone you love today. Look for something that they need and be their solution.
- Do something for a stranger. It’s easy to serve people we care about but sometimes we need to reach beyond ourselves and serve someone outside of our own circle. This can be as simple as smiling at a stranger while you are running errands or picking up something that someone drops. Looking for ways to serve others, both large and small, helps you make the world a better place.
- Take a 15 minute break. Everyone needs a chance to step back during the day. Use this time to take a quick power nap, have a snack, meditate, whatever you need to feel recharged.
- Eat something you love. Life is too short to eat food that isn’t amazing. Be kind to your tastebuds. Make healthy choices, sure, but choose foods and snacks you love. Create fresh meals filled with fruits and veggies and focus on snacks made from real ingredients. I keep a snack stashed in my diaper bag at all times so I can snack on the go when I need to. I’ve been loving KIND® Snacks lately because they are made from ingredients I can pronounce and they have some amazing flavors so I don’t have to worry about my snack being boring. I love their Dark Chocolate Nuts and Sea Salt bar but my son is obsessed with the Honey Mustard Strong & KIND bars.
- Compliment yourself. It’s easy to give someone else a compliment but much harder to be kind to yourself. Look in the mirror once a day and think of one thing you love about yourself. Don’t limit yourself to your appearance. Consider the traits that make you amazing too.
- Clean your space. It’s so much easier to relax when you are in a space that is clean and clutter-free. Whatever your space is, whether that’s your office, your bedroom, you car . . . take a few minutes every day to clean and de-clutter it so it’s a nice space to be in.
- Set a goal. We all need things to reach for. It’s hard to move forward if you don’t know where you are going. Set a goal and write it down then work towards it a little bit every day.
- Talk to a friend. We all need a connection with another person. Take a few minutes every day to connect with a friend, even if it’s just sending a quick text message to check in on them.
- Do something that is a complete waste of time. Life isn’t all goals and to-do lists. Take the time every day to do something frivolous. Watch a trashy TV show. Chill out and do nothing. Surf the internet. Do whatever you need to do do decompress.
- Breathe. Just stop and breathe. Whatever today’s problems are, they will all be solved somehow. Life comes in seasons. Take a deep breath and keep plugging on but know that whatever happens today, you will be okay.
How will you “Live KIND. every day™” in 2016? What are you doing for your body, taste buds, the world?
Check out some ideas to Live KIND on the KIND snacks blog.
Follow KIND and use the hashtag #LiveKIND to share some of the ways you are being kind to yourself.
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This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of KIND.
