Being Our Own Cheerleaders!

Everyone has their ups and downs, people supporting them and sometimes others trying to tear them down. It’s easy to become discouraged and let things get you down when others don’t think that you can achieve something or when you hear rude comments, when this happens sometimes you need a little pep talk to remind yourself that you are amazing and it’s important that you have your own back and can pick yourself up. If you have others to help pick you up when things get you down that’s amazing, but you don’t want to have to rely on them and it’s important that you can do this yourself.

Self love is so important however it can be hard, it’s not something that always comes naturally as loving yourself can sometimes been seen as arrogant or vain when in reality it is far from it. We should be our biggest cheerleaders, congratulating ourselves for our achievements and feeling love towards ourselves. It’s not about boasting or being better than others, it’s about loving, appreciating and being proud ourselves. The whole idea of ‘being our own cheerleaders’ is great however it can be hard, so here are a few things that you can do to help you on your way!

• Accept compliments – I’ve lost count the amount of times someone has given me a compliment such as ‘your hair looks lovely today’ and I’ve replied negatively with a comment like ‘oh it’s such a mess’. I have no idea why I sometimes do this but I know others find it hard to accept compliments too. In future just saying thank you is a great way to accept the compliment and stop being so harsh on yourself.
• Talk kindly about yourself – This follows on nicely from the previously point. We can be our biggest critics and would never talk to others how we talk about ourselves (obviously there are mean people but you get my point), think about what you’re saying to yourself and change it to something more positive. Even if you don’t believe what you are telling yourself it’s better than being negative and over time you will hopefully start to believe it.
• Stand up for yourself – It can be much easier to defend someone else than yourself. I know, I’ve been there. However, you are amazing and should defend yourself just as much if not even more than others. If you believe in something or don’t agree what someone is saying about you don’t be afraid to put them right and stand up for yourself. I’ve learnt the hard way but I will always stand up for myself no matter what,
• Be proud of your achievements – There are a lot of things I am proud of and that I have achieved both big and small from graduating from University to perfecting my homemade lasagne, however I have found myself only briefly mentioning them or not saying about them at all as I feel like I’m bragging. There is a huge difference between boasting or showing off and being happy and proud of something. If you are having trouble then think about your achievements from an outside perspective, this can help overcome reluctance to share what you are proud of.

Be kind and cheer yourself on, if you’re proud of something and want to share it with everyone then share it. There’s nothing wrong with loving yourself and being proud of who you are and what you have achieved.

Rebecca x