Be Kind To You Too
We’re always reminded of how important it is to treat others with respect and show kindness to other people but there’s not as much conversation about treating yourself with kindness. Kindness is “the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.” In other words, to be kind is to be thoughtful.
Showing yourself kindness is a form of self-care that isn’t a luxury, it is a necessity. It is important for learning more about who you are and the things you need in life to thrive. It is also important for teaching people how to properly treat you. You model it, people copy it. Don’t feel bad if showing yourself kindness isn’t something you’re used to or something that you immediately know how to do. Part of showing yourself kindness is having patience with yourself.
Right now I’m working on showing myself kindness in two ways: asserting better boundaries on my time and allowing myself actual rest days where I don’t do much but also don’t beat myself up about it. How I show myself kindness with my boundaries is that when I show that I respect my own time (adhering to my exact appointments, not making changes at the last minute), then others have the same courtesy and show me the same kindness. And kindness is about consideration.
How I show myself kindness by allowing myself to have rest days is by remembering that I am human and not a machine. Though at times I’d like believe that I can keep going and going, the reality is sometimes I just have to sit down somewhere and take a breather. What I’m learning through this exercise of self-care is that there’s nothing wrong with that! So I now have to speak to myself in a manner that reflects that perspective shift. “You got some good sleep girl, praise God!” “Yes, we’re sticking to our meal prep meals and not ordering pizza!” Or “Let’s treat ourselves to a little ice cream.” And it goes on and on in my mind to reflect what I actually did on my rest day. It’s so easy for us to beat ourselves up, that taking time for some positive words of encouragement on a rest day can be particularly meaningful.
The word of God says in Psalms 147:17 “The Lord is righteous in everything He does; He is filled with kindness.” This scripture tells us that God is good (righteous), and then He is filled with kindness. Kindness is so important to God that it is spoken about in His character after righteousness.
Before I could even begin taking the steps to treat myself more kindly, I had to discover what true kindness is. And that came from knowing Jesus and recognizing kindness as a part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Let the God who is “filled with kindness” shower His kindness on you and teach you how to better navigate how kindness needs to be represented in your life. Til’ next time adieu!