Appreciating and celebrating oneself means taking the time to be grateful of yourself. Maybe this includes material things like buying new clothes or new makeup. For you it may be an out-of-town trip with friends or a movie night out by yourself. Do you practice gratitude with “me time” in front of the mirror in the bathroom? Let’s talk about some other ways to celebrate yourself, to show gratitude, to express positivity.
Did you know that simply thinking about something that makes you feel good increases serotonin in your brain? Serotonin is one of the primary neurotransmitters in the brain which also acts as a hormone that stimulates satisfaction, happiness, and optimism. So, some ideas that I have for you to REALLY appreciate yourself which can make a huge difference in one’s mental health and stress response, thus really impacting your metabolism and quality of life!
Your weirdness
Each and every one of us has our own weirdness, be it on food, on the way we dress, or how we react to certain situations. For instance, I know someone who puts ketchup on macaroni and cheese or peanut butter on cucumbers, which some may think tastes weird. Do you have weird taste buds too? Or do you like to dress up? Share it with us and we’ll never judge!
Being Hopeful.
Hopeful means never getting tired of waiting for good things to happen in spite of experiencing a lot of the bad. Hopeful expresses gratitude as we are looking up, moving forward, and taking one step at a time. We do not want to dwell on the past, worry about the future, or get held up on the unknown. We have to live in the now, keep faith, and continue to put one foot in front of the other. Some of us will turn to God, some to our family, some to books, outdoor time, or our pets to help us to create that positive mindset and to maintain hope.
Being able to forgive.
Forgiving is something that can be difficult for some. We always have to remember that forgiving would make our life a lot more fulfilling and would help us get a good night’s sleep. Forgiving can lower our cortisol (stress) levels which will significantly impact our metabolism. You know the feeling that when you’re mad at someone and you can’t stop thinking about it and when the time comes that you’re ready to forgive him and you did? It feels good right? That’s it!
The Gift of Life
Life. Having the gift of life is genuinely something that is to celebrate for. We get to enjoy all the small things that it can offer: waking up, the ability to move our limbs with minimal effort, the opportunity to exercise and learn, delicious foods, luxurious travels, and just the simple task of breathing – that is something worth celebrating for!
Having True Friends/Best Friends
We all have that someone whom we can talk all the things about, someone who knows all or most of our flaws, someone who is our rock and someone who most of the time is not our own blood. We call them our best friends and no matter how long you haven’t seen each other or haven’t checked in, you know that it’s all right because even though you have different lives, you believe that he is always there for you and that you are for him too! Isn’t that worth appreciating and celebrating?!
Family.
Lastly, what I think would be the best to be appreciative of ourselves is to have a family who are always there by our side no matter what. Maybe this isn't a biological family – even the non-blood related family is a true gem to have! They are the spot in our heart where we truly call home. They are there to celebrate with us in good times and are the ones who never leave us through dark times. As such, having them in our life is something that we definitely appreciate and celebrate for. As one quote from Michael J. Fox said, “Family is not an important thing. It's everything”. Nothing to explain about this, just simple and bare ????
As for me, waking up healthy every day, the ability to fuel and move my body (the way it deserves), and a family whom we can always go home to after a tiring day at work are the ones I am appreciating and celebrating about myself. How about you? What do you appreciate and celebrate about yourself? Is it that weight loss that you’ve been longing for a long time? Or is it the time when you never have to take your maintenance medicines because you already feel good about yourself? Come and join us and let’s talk about it!
Jenni Berman
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