Live More Mindfully by Being Kinder to Yourself

Living in the here and now can help you to boost your mood and improve your life quality. Through mindfulness, you'll find yourself looking inside and realizing how you feel and what you need.

You might be asking how to do it, and the answer is very simple:

-Find a quiet place.

-Shut out all that extraneous noise.

-Let go of judgment and observe your thoughts.

Mindfulness practices will teach you to be more aware of your environment and be thankful for the experience.

If you don't know how to start, here are seven ways from Laura Jane Jones, a self-care content creator and illustrator, to live more mindfully.

1. Love and Compliment Yourself

Wake up, look in the mirror, and say out loud three things you are proud of yourself for doing, achieving, or overcoming. If you find that challenging, simply reminds yourself that you had faced challenges before, survived, and are doing great.

Try saying some of these things: I am loved, I am worthy, I have a place here, I'm doing my best, and I can keep going.

2. Be Kind to Yourself

Choose to forgive yourself for still being in the "process." Instead of saying, "I can't do this," remind yourself that you are still learning, still growing, still capable of being able to do it one day. Growth is a process; it takes time.

3. Choose Wisely Where You Focus Your Energy

Say no to something that you know you don't have the time or energy for today. Saying no today will create space for you to rest and recharge so that you can say yes to more tomorrow.

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4. Appreciate the Present

Take a moment just to stop. Stop and breathe. Breathe in, pause; breath out. In the silence, listen closely to what your body is telling you. What do you need more of today?

5. Look Inside

Check-in with your feelings: What are you feeling today? Why are you feeling this way? What do you need right now to support yourself and these feelings?

6. Spend Time With Yourself

Make space for you today. Do something simple that brings you gentle joy, like sitting in the sunshine, reading a book, or going for a walk. Be comfortable in your own company. In the softness of the silence, be present with yourself in the joy.

7. Be Grateful

Write a list of everything and everyone that you are grateful for at the end of the week. Read back your list and be present with just how much you have in life, however big or small, grand or simple. You can always find something to be grateful for.

Our thoughts connect with our emotions. This is why the way we talk to ourselves is so important. By taking a little time every day to follow these practices, you'll be able to be kinder to yourself and feel better. Positive thinking is very powerful, and by sticking to it through mindfulness, you'll see how, little by little, every scar will start healing.