How often do you reflect on your childhood? It’s an unusual question meant to make you pause for a moment.
There are bright spots in your childhood; when you remember those, you feel your true essence. As you age, your life experiences cause you to build a suit of armor for protection. Would your childhood self recognize your adult self today?
Will you bring your best self forward today? One way you can do that is to practice self-empathy. Think of a relationship that is important to you, that brings you joy. This can be a person or a pet. Do you treat yourself as well, especially in challenging situations?
Learning to be kind and compassionate towards yourself is crucial. It may be difficult for you, and you may think this is selfish. By putting the oxygen mask on yourself first, more energy will flow into developing healthy relationships and improving performance and happiness.
Happiness is when you spend more time feeling positive emotions and less time feeling negative emotions. When this happens, you can give more to others.
So be nice to yourself today and protect yourself.