Support and Encourage Yourself

Many times people feel dissatisfied because they don't feel appreciated by others. That's understandable. Of course we all long to be valued by others. But if our happiness depends on the encouragement of others, we may at times find ourselves being needlessly discouraged. The solution is to encourage yourself! Here are some ways to do just that.

Steps

  1. Be proud of yourself. Whether it is because of a small accomplishment or just life in general, you have to believe in yourself. If self esteem is an issue for you, try therapy or do some research on the subject. You can't encourage yourself if you don't like yourself.
  2. Try being your own best friend. Talk to yourself like you would to a friend who needed motivation. Say things like "I know it's hard but you can do it," or, "By this time tomorrow, it will be all done."
  3. Keep a good sense of humor! It helps tremendously!
  4. Spend some time on a hobby.
  5. Reach out to others who can encourage you.
  6. If you can get out some, then think about what encourages you. Many people find that doing things for others helps their own problems feel smaller, or at least it gets the problems off their mind for a little while.
  7. Exercise! Walk outside or on your treadmill, ride a stationary bike, do yoga. You can choose the kind of class you'd feel most comfortable in, or you can practice yoga at home with music of your choice. The stretching and de-stressing techniques are excellent. Or you can jog, or belly dance, or whatever feels wonderful to your body. Just 15, 30, or 45 minutes a day will help your metabolism, which in turn helps your mood.
  8. Eat good food! Add fresh foods and whole grain foods; go organic on some things if you would like to.
  9. Play music! Whatever kind of music lifts your spirits, play that for yourself. You can keep a radio or stereo on so that you can hear it in the background wherever you are.

Tips

  • Remember the past. Sometimes it is important to forget and let go of the past, but other times it's important to remember the past. For instance, if you are in the middle of a tough time with a friend, remember all of the good times you've had with that friend in the past. When remembering the past, sometimes it is great fun to think way back, even to childhood, about fun, interesting, and exciting experiences. Often this makes me laugh, and it also helps me to see how rich and wonderful my life has been -- and no doubt will continue to be.
  • Encourage yourself and commit to do good things for YOUR self, too! It will help brighten some of your days, and help you get through other days.
  • List your worries. This may seem like a strange way to be encouraged, and you'll admit that initially listing your worries sometimes causes you stress! However, listing your worries is often the first step in dealing with the issues at hand, and as you deal with them, you'll be encouraged. Also, as you list your worries -- especially if you write in a journal about them -- You often see that they are not as big and scary as you thought. Often, when you journal about your concerns or the things you are frustrated about, you'll find that you are blowing things out of proportion and that the situation isn't nearly as bad as you initially thought. That's encouraging!
  • Make a list of your talents. We often focus on what we're not good at, or ways we fail or wish we are different. But we all have various gifts and abilities. Focusing on those things can provide a great deal of encouragement. Nothing is too small to list!
  • None of this has to take a long time, but it's important to plan things for yourself as part of your daily routine. Again, small things count!
  • List small aspects of big blessings. When encouraging yourself, it's great to start off with the well-known and obvious things such as family, friends, your home, and so on. But once you've listed those things, try to be more specific. For instance, if you're thankful for your family, one by one list the members of your family and then write a detailed listing of all of the ways you are thankful for that specific family member. The same can be true for the other biggies.
  • Remind yourself of encouragement from others. Yes, this article is about encouraging yourself, but sometimes you can do that by remembering past encouragement from others. Perhaps no one has done anything to encourage you this past week or even month, but we've all had bits of encouragement from others in the past. One of the best things you can do is keep an "encouragement folder." Put all kinds of bits of encouragement into that folder! If someone sends you a card with an encouraging word, rather than tossing it, stick it in the folder. When someone leaves an especially kind word on one of your articles, copy and paste that into a Word document and save it. Add bits of encouragement to the document as you receive them. And don't forget to also type in words of encouragement that have been spoken to you as well.

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