33 Tips for Feeling Better About Yourself*
by
William R. Colagrande, MS
Love yourself for who you are, not for what you do.
Focus on giving your best effort rather than emphasizing the end result.
Maintain good grooming and hygiene.
Get some exercise.
Eat right.
Avoid excessive use of drugs, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, television and other toxins.
At bedtime, review the things you feel good about having accomplished that day.
Tell yourself I love you, warts and all.
Strive to compliment, encourage, praise and acknowledge others: be a mensch.
Avoid judging and criticizing others, even if only in your thoughts. Don=t condemn yourself when you find yourself doing it, just gently let it drop.
Acknowledge mistakes: you=re not perfect, nor do you need appear to be.
Turn mistakes into learning experiences.
Welcome change: good things will always change, but then again, so will the bad.
Live usefully: do a good deed, large or small, every day.
Take gentle risks: approach new experiences as opportunities to learn.
Find a role model and try to emulate him/her.
Associate with positive, life-affirming people.
Avoid,or limit your contact with negative people.
Take some personal time for yourself.
Develop a new hobby or re-energize an old one.
Avoid thinking you have to improve.
Remember that tomorrow is another day; if something discourages or upsets you today, tomorrow you can begin anew.
Develop realistic goals; if you are not sure if they are realistic, get some feedback from others who know and care about you.
Read a good book.
Go for walks alone or with friends.
Take the long view of things.
Don=t always believe what you think.
Don=t give up on yourself, even when you=re feeling down.
Listen to some good music.
Remember there=s more to you than just how you feel.
Avoid perfection.
Experiment with mediation.
Keep in mind: This too shall pass.
Look up the word compassion in the dictionary and then see in how many ways you can apply it to yourself and others.
* For some real fun, try cutting these suggestions into separate strips, place the strips in a jar, and pick a different one every morning. Take a few moments to reflect upon the suggestion, then focus on applying it as much as possible all through your day. Feel free to add or delete suggestions as you wish. If you like, you can even enter a few lines about your experience of the day into your journal.
© The Institute for Human Development
2004
www.i4hd.com
I’m always interested in hearing your comments and feedback on my essays. You can send them to be by e-mailing bill@i4hd.com