Promise yourself Self-Care and Self-Love!

I promise no moon...I promise no stars...I promise to be by your side in your darkest hours....

Yes, this is a pledge of a lover...not to another but to oneself...a lover of self !

Sounds strange...isn't it ? 

You are so much in love with the outside...you are always ready to go the extra mile for your loved ones...you work hard for your loved ones...you are kind to them in their tough times...you are always so compassionate towards them.

But amidst all this, do not forget to take notice of how you often treat yourself, especially during the difficult days, when your internal monologue is brutal.

You don't do yourself any good when you engage in

- reprimanding yourself
- self deprecating thinking and behaviour
- putting unrealistic pressures on yourself,
- focusing on your weakness rather than your strength
- focusing on what you did wrong instead of what you did right

So pledge the same love to you that you so strongly pledge to others.

TO YOURSELF,

Promise strength,
Promise health,
Promise compassion & care,
Promise to forgive yourself
Promise to stress less
Promise to set boundaries
Promise to achieve the forgotten dream
Promise to give yourself the best
Promise to try your best 
Promise a life you have always wanted to live for yourself! 
 
And most importantly don't forget to keep the promises you make to yourself ! 

Today, I promise to love myself a little more!!

What are you promising yourself today?
 
"To love oneself is the beginning of a life long romance!" - Oscar Wilde

"Thanks to Thankfulness" - The shortest path to GRATITUDE

Technology has permeated every aspect of our life, promising to make us better, effective and more productive; the gaps have also been bridged in terms of seeking/ accessing information/ knowledge and everything is available at our fingertips now. Still the biggest irony that exists is that the parallel online world created to bring together and connect people across geographies, continents, countries, etc. has been created on a bedrock of loose human values. 

A case in point is – can we recollect easily the last time we appreciated something around us or in others? 

Isn't is hard to do so as there aren't be too many such occasions.  

The interconnectedness of people that promised camaraderie and togetherness has in fact created a more self-centered society where personal success and achievement rules the roost. We are seeing an erosion of fundamental human values and Gratitude is one of those key values that is diminishing. The “Thanks” or “Thank You” are hard to come and if they come, they are just so robotic.

Let’s dig deep and examine why gratitude is eroding and what could we do to cultivate it

What is Gratitude?

Gratitude is the basic quality of appreciation or being grateful.

Why is Gratitude important?

• Gratitude builds holistic health and personality by positively impacting our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspect.
• It shapes the growth of society as connecting together is a key tenet of a flourishing society
• It complements the interconnected nature of the virtual world that we live in. Our parallel online world needs real values to build lasting relationships.
• The new smartphone generation needs to imbibe basis human values like gratitude to build a holistic personality.
• Gratitude acts as feeder to many more essential human values like kindness.

How to cultivate Gratitude?

The simplest way to cultivate gratitude is to make a transition from “Thanks to Thankfulness”. Practising the following would help us achieve the same 

• SATISFICING which means finding delight in what’s given to us. This builds in the quality of being grateful for what we have. This further triggers our orientation towards the much needed concepts of decluttering, minimalism and essentialism. Maintaining a “gratitude journal” is an easy way to do so. The journal entries act as a reminder to us that by default there are plenty of things that we need to be grateful for in our life such as the beautiful body, the nature, the family, the friends, the sunshine, and so on.

• MINDFULNESS which builds awareness of the present moments and makes us appreciate the beauty that lies in each moment. This generates feeling of gratitude and makes us grateful for each moment.

• EMPATHY which is the foundation of human relatedness. Empathy propel us to connect with others at a deeper level and establish an emotional connect. It’s this deeper connection that builds in us feelings of gratitude.

• CONNECT MORE – One of the major downside of technology is that the opportunities to meet face-to-face are very few. This lack of physical connection inhibits our basic human tendency to relate to others. Establishing more face to face connections will kindle the feelings of gratitude.

• A LITLLE EXTRA – Once we imbibe the basic feeling of empathy and start connecting more (at a physical level), offering a little bit extra through our intent and action will develop more gratitude.      

For all the readers looking for more scientific explanation about the benefits of gratitude, here's the link to a wonderful article http://happierhuman.com/benefits-of-gratitude/

So, what are you grateful for today ?