In order to celebrate and appreciate our gifts and talents, we must first demonstrate self-compassion to ourselves. Self-critical behavior can have a detrimental impact on our feelings of self-worth and can impede our ability to be kind and accepting of ourselves.
This exercise in self-compassion is a simple yet powerful way to celebrate and appreciate you! Today’s image illustrates how this exercise works, and the following description will be a deeper dive into the practice.
On a sheet of paper, draw a capital letter, “I”. This “I” represents the whole you; every physical part of your body, your mind, unique gifts, and all the actions that comprise your life.
Over the course of the rest of this week, you will be filling in little “i’s” about yourself. You will reflect on and identify aspects of yourself that you like and aspects of yourself that you feel need improvement or self-acceptance. Select two colored pens or markers to represent the two areas you are reflecting on this week.
By the end of the week, you’ll be able to reflect on each of these distinct characteristics and better understand that your imperfections and strengths make you uniquely and distinctly you. Frame your “I” or tape it somewhere you will be able to see and reflect on often.
This exercise serves as notable reminder that we are all a beautiful work in progress!
Reference: Collard, P. (2014). The little book of mindfulness: 10 minutes a day to less stress, more peace. Octopus Publishing Group Ltd.