Five Ways To Stop Judging Yourself + FREE Journaling Prompts
“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we’ll ever do.” - Brené Brown
Be kinder to yourself instead of beating yourself up
From the time you wake up until the time you go to bed, how many times do you speak badly to yourself? You may not realize how much you speak down to yourself subconsciously (i.e. I’m so ugly, I look so fat, I’m so stupid, I’m such an idiot, etc.). We are constantly being our own worst enemy and we need to start switching our mindset around to being our own best friend because we all deserve that. Keep track of how often you are saying these self-defeating thoughts and replace them with kinder affirmations you can tell yourself to not only stop judging yourself but see a boost in your self esteem!
2. Stop caring what other people think
Sadly, we live in a world where the majority of what we do is not only judged by others but highly criticized by others; leading us to make decisions based upon what other people want and not necessarily what we want for ourselves. This is incredibly limiting your power and your freedom and you need to step out of this or you will continue being stuck. I want you to truly think about why you care so much about what other people think because at the end of the day it really doesn’t matter. All that matters is your happiness and your health.
3. Stop talking negatively about yourself to other people
Just like I mentioned above, the same thing rings true here. Whether you are saying it in your head or aloud, your brain recognizes it just the same. But once you put it out into the world into other people’s hands, you are putting those words into their power. We are inclined to constantly compare ourselves to other people especially within the digital era and social media. We need to come back down to Earth and realize that our chapter 2 isn’t going to be the same as someone elses chapter 10 and that we can be as successful as anyone else if we put in the dedication and hard work. We all just need to stop focusing on everyone else and focus on ourselves.
“Comparison is the thief of joy” - Theodore Roosevelt
4. Stop judging others
In order to stop judging yourself, you must stop judging others. One goes with the other, as it is like a domino effect. Why do you care so much about what others are thinking, doing, wearing, etc.? Odds are if you are judging someone by how they look or dress, you have issues with your body and how you dress. Let others express themselves the way they want as long as they aren’t doing any harm. What effect does it have on your life? Honestly? Does it really matter in retrospect? Really try to figure out where your judgements are coming from to get to the root to start figuring out how you can fix the cause of these thoughts and work on ways to stop judging yourself.
5. Accept what is happening
Life isn’t easy. I’ve been there, through hell and back multiple times. During the ups, relish in the gratitude and find what brings you joy and pursue that to its fullest. Make sure you are taking care of yourself first and foremost. During the downs, it is important to not judge yourself. Be sad, be upset, be angry. Get your emotions out. But don’t hate yourself, don’t be mean to yourself or your body. That’s when your mind, body, and soul need you the most. So, find ways to nourish them in a way that is fitting during that time.
No one is perfect, perfect doesn’t exist. But you need to own your story, you need to own your unique identity and be okay with the ups and downs of life. Just because you are having a hard day doesn’t make you inadequate. Just because you don’t understand a question doesn’t make you stupid. Just because you can’t fit into a certain pair of jeans does not make you fat. Just because you are dealing with a chronic illness does not make you irrelevant to society. It just means that you don’t fit into the perfect one size fits all approach that society has been grilling into our heads for generations. It means that you have a chance to overcome something and from that will come knowledge, from knowledge a lesson, from said lesson gratitude, and from gratitude peace.