We often come across the notion that loving ourselves is essential for happiness and receiving love. While that holds truth, the exercise at hand is not solely focused on that aspect. Instead, it is about taking a moment to embrace yourself mentally, to realign and remind yourself that you are doing great.
Negative thinking is a common tendency we all fall prey to, and the world around us often amplifies this unhelpful habit. Whether it's comparing ourselves to the curated images on social media or being surrounded by individuals who may not have our best interests at heart, we can easily find ourselves spiralling into a state of crisis.
The example mentioned above is just one of the many ways we can end up being hard on ourselves. There are various paths that can lead to feelings of depression and anxiety. Until you can consistently love yourself 90 percent of the time, try showing yourself love, even if only for a moment. When you sense yourself slipping or even after you have already slipped, give this imagery technique a try.
Close your eyes and take a nice, deep, centring breath. Release with a little force
Repeat this a few times until you start to feel a little more grounded.
Now, imagine you are standing facing yourself.
You are present with an identical version of yourself, like looking in a mirror.
Study yourself, observe each line wrinkle and freckle. Your eyes, look into your eyes, what do they tell you?
Imagine your face to be smiling, you are smiling at yourself, lovingly.
Now this other version of you reaches out and takes you in their arms and holds you.
You are being hugged firmly by yourself.
Allow yourself to melt into the hug, perhaps you can smell your perfume or shampoo, your smell is comforting and familiar.
Stay for a moment in this position. Feel the warmth from this embrace and the sense of security it offers you.
Now you pull away from each other and look directly into your eyes, what words of encouragement would you say to yourself in this moment? You may choose any words as long as they are spoken with conviction and love. Perhaps you simply say "you are doing really well" or more, either way it is up to you.
Finally, just allow yourself to linger for a moment, let it all sink in and then with a smile, when you are ready, open your eyes.
This exercise does not have to only be practiced when you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed or anxious about things, you can practice it at any time, simply as a reminder to yourself that you are doing great. Perhaps set an alarm to practice this every lunch time or every evening before winding down for the night. It will never hurt to tell yourself that you are a wonderful human being doing your best!
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