When you think of being kind to yourself the first thing that comes to mind is words of affirmation. Things like “I am worthy” or “I am enough” are one of the most commonly used words of affirmation because they have such a big meaning. Understanding your brain’s signals of feeling overwhelmed or like the world is overwhelming can be so hard for the brain to process. Your brain listens to everything you tell it, if you tell your brain you’re not worthy or you’re not enough, that’s exactly what you’re going to continue to think.
Suppressing your emotions for a long period of time will never solve your problems because deep down they are still there waiting to heal and be processed. You have to face the good, the bad and the ugly to get to the pretty and peaceful. But, if you treat yourself with kindness and tell yourself things that are pure and good even when times are tough, your brain will learn to process challenging times in a more calm and organic way.
Words of affirmation aren’t the only way you can be kind to yourself. Others find more peace and healing in journaling. Journaling is an incredible technique that is designed to just empty out your brain. Journaling also does not have to be just words, it can be a random photo or pictures. You can create a junk journal with a bunch of pictures and receipts of your favorite clothing brand. Journaling is mentally dumping everything and anything, it doesn’t have to be perfect or done a certain way, make it completely yours.
But there is also music. Music is very therapeutic for most people whether that’s listening to it, creating it, or absolutely screaming out every single lyric in the shower. Music has had such an impact over the past couple of years because of the feeling people get when they relate to the
lyrics. People feel more seen or less alone when they hear music, it’s a very powerful tool. If you’re creating music, who cares if it’s actually a song. It can be a couple sentences that you make into tune and hum when you’re feeling down. Music is a beautiful thing; it doesn’t have to be perfect for it to be healing.
If you are an athlete and you are feeling overwhelmed with an upcoming game or you have a tournament that you’re nervous about, these tools will help you too. A good way to help be kind to yourself as an athlete is taking it all out on the court, the field, the gym, or even the stage. No matter what you do or play, focusing all of your energy and emotions on your activity is actually very healing. This is something I also do when experiencing a hard day. As an athlete, I focused all my emotions into what I do for an activity and I find it very effective.
No matter who you are, what sport you play, or what you struggle with, being kind to yourself is so internally empowering to both the brain and the heart. You’ll find more peace and happiness within your life. Challenges and hard days are never going to fully go away. You can’t escape them, but if you write it out or express it in a creative way you love, you are going to find a lot more joy in life. So with all of that being said, stay true to yourself, and be kind to yourself, these are just some of the many tools you can use when processing emotions and big feelings.
