THERAPY SERVICESTRAINING SCHOOL
LOCATIONS
TOOTINGCLAPHAMMARYLEBONE
CALL US TODAY 020 8673 4545[email protected]
Product has been added to your basket.
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • THE AWARENESS CENTRE
      • About The Awareness Centre
      • The Team
      • Centre News
      • Media
      • Collaborative Partners & External Agencies
    • OUR PRACTICES
      • TAC Clapham
      • TAC Tooting
      • TAC Marylebone
      • How to Find Us
    • THE DIRECTOR
      • Michaela McCarthy
  • THERAPY SERVICES
    • NHS THERAPY SERVICES
      • NHS Lambeth
      • NHS Wandsworth
      • NHS Sutton
      • Our NHS Therapists
      • NHS Multilingual Counselling
    • PRIVATE THERAPY SERVICES
      • Online Counselling & Telephone Therapy
      • Low Cost Counselling & Psychotherapy
      • Counselling
      • Psychotherapy
      • Psychology
      • Our Low Cost Therapists
      • Our Private Therapists
      • Private Healthcare Providers
    • SPECIALIST THERAPY SERVICES
      • Addiction Counselling
      • Anger Management Therapy
      • Bereavement Counselling
      • Child & Adolescent Counselling
      • Couples Counselling
      • Eating Disorders Therapy
      • Family Therapy
      • LGBTQ+ Counselling
      • Multilingual Counselling
      • Sex & Relationship Therapy
      • Trauma Counselling & Psychotherapy
    • FURTHER INFORMATION
      • Types of Issues
        • Abuse
        • Addiction
        • ADHD
        • Anger
        • Anxiety Disorders
        • Asperger’s Syndrome
        • Attachment Disorder
        • Bereavement and Loss
        • Body Dysmorphic Disorder
        • Bullying
        • Cancer
        • Carer Support
        • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
        • Communication
        • Dementia
        • Depression
        • Disability
        • Dissociation
        • Eating Disorders
        • Family and Relationships
        • Gender & Identity
        • Guilt and Shame
        • Hearing Voices
        • HIV/AIDS
        • Illness
        • Infertility
        • Isolation & Loneliness
        • Learning Difficulties
        • Life Transitions
        • Low Self-Esteem
        • Mental Health
        • Paranoia
        • Passive Aggressive Behaviour
        • Personality Disorders
        • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
        • Pregnancy & Childbirth
        • Psychosis
        • Rape
        • Redundancy
        • Schizophrenia
        • Self-Harm
        • Sex and Relationships
        • Sexuality
        • Spirituality
        • Stress
        • Suicidal Thoughts
        • Tourette’s Syndrome
        • Trauma (Child & Adult)
        • Trichotillomania
        • Workplace Issues
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Resources
      • Approaches to Therapy
      • Client Testimonials
  • FEES
  • TAC TRAINING SCHOOL
    • About the Training School
    • Meet the Faculty
    • Foundation Certificate in Counselling
    • Diploma in Integrative Counselling
    • Diploma in Clinical Supervision
    • Corporate Mental Health Workshops
    • Training School Testimonials
  • BLOG
  • WORK AT TAC
    • Work in Private Practice at TAC
    • Careers at TAC
    • Therapist Testimonials
  • COUNSELLING PLACEMENT
    • Counselling Placement
    • Counselling Placement Testimonials
    • Placement Training Testimonials
  • CONTACT
Four Ways To Be Kinder To Yourself

Four Ways To Be Kinder To Yourself

Kindness, according to the dictionary, is the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate. The annual World Kindness Day reminds us to prioritise kindness in our lives, which usually means thinking about doing something kind for others.

Let’s not forget ourselves in this, however. We are often too busy being considerate and generous to other people that our own needs get lost in the process. We can be incredibly harsh on ourselves as we dash through our daily lives, berating ourselves for forgetting things, not doing everything perfectly, or maybe for just not feeling good enough.

Sometimes the critical voice in our head can be quite strict and mean to us – more like an enemy than a friend sometimes.

If kindness is lacking in your life, perhaps it’s time to reflect on how to change that. If you were your own best friend, and were being generous and considerate, how would you treat yourself?

We’ve come up with some thoughts on how you can do this…

  1. Book in some rest time
    You might feel guilty taking some time out for you, as if you’re being lazy or selfish, and should be doing something productive with your time. But without some time for you, you won’t have time for others. Being there on demand for the world can leave you feeling depleted, as though your well has run dry. Taking some time out – even an afternoon, or an hour here or there – to do nothing can help to re-fill your well. Think of it as enjoying time rather than wasting time.
  2. Challenge your inner critic
    This can be a tricky one, especially if your inner critic has a lot of power in your psyche. The critic can be like a negative script running constantly in one ear, telling you constantly that you’re not good enough and you have to be better. It can make you compare yourself unfavourably with others and leaving you feeling useless. To counter this inner critic, imagine you have an inner cheerleader whispering into your other ear. Every time the critic says something mean, say or write down an alternative version that is much kinder and more considerate. If you get into the habit of this, your inner critic won’t have quite as much power.
  3. Soothe your senses
    How can you treat yourself so you feel pampered and valued? Only you will know the kind of self-soothing that helps you feel relaxed and revived. Think about your five senses and how you can soothe all of them. Perhaps there’s a great movie you want to watch, some music you love listening to, some lovely candles you’d like to light to fragrance your room, your favourite meal could be in the oven, and a luxurious bath could be waiting. These are just some of the ways you can soothe your senses and feel there is more to life than deadlines and duties.
  4. Forgive yourself
    Give yourself a break. You’re human. You’re not perfect. Sometimes you’ll get something wrong. That’s OK. Forgive yourself and others for their flaws, and the whole world will feel a lot kinder.

If you’re struggling with the inner critic and could benefit from professional support in helping you to be kinder to yourself, then speaking to a therapist could help. You can book with one of our team by calling 020 8673 4545 or emailing [email protected]

Avatar
Karen Dempsey
With a 20-year career in print and online publishing and an MA in creative writing, Karen Dempsey has worked as a journalist, editor and copywriter and has managed large editorial teams. She is a qualified, accredited and practising psychotherapist with an MA/diploma in transpersonal integrative counselling & psychotherapy.
What Is The “Anniversary Effect”? And What To Do If You Have It
How To Deal With Bullying Past Or Present

Related Posts

Resiliency and Learned Helplessness

Resiliency and Learned Helplessness

Are You A Pathological Attention Seeker?

Are You A Pathological Attention Seeker?

How To Stay Motivated At Work

How To Stay Motivated At Work

Why There Is No Getting Over A Bereavement

Why There Is No “Getting Over” A Bereavement

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fill out this field
Fill out this field
Please enter a valid email address.

Subscribe to our newsletter



    Please add me to the list

    Categories

    • Depression
    • Personality Disorders
    • Dementia
    • Empty Nest Syndrome
    • Agoraphobia
    • Family
    • Anxiety
    • ADHD
    • Loneliness
    • Dreams
    • Parenting
    • Masochism
    • Pregnancy
    • Self-Harm
    • Imposter Syndrome
    • Psychotherapy
    • The Awareness Centre
    • Health
    • Social Anxiety Disorder
    • Panic Attacks
    • Relationships
    • OCD
    • PTSD
    • Self-Care
    • Sleep
    • Therapy
    • Eating Disorders
    • Bullying
    • Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
    • Guilt
    • Meditation
    • Mental Health
    • Sexual Harassment
    • Ask Michaela
    • Training School
    • News
    • Borderline Personality Disorder
    • Insomnia
    • Echoism
    • Personal Development
    • Mindfulness
    • Psychology
    • Narcissism
    • Couples
    • Trauma
    • Bipolar
    • LGBTQ
    • Uncategorized
    • Bereavement & Loss
    • Suicide
    • Co-Dependency
    • Ecopsychology
    • Addiction
    • Children and Adolescents
    • Stress
    • Abortion
    • Porn
    • Alcoholism
    • Self Esteem
    • Workplace Issues
    • Life Stories
    • Menopause
    • Counselling Placements
    • Postnatal Depression
    • Psychosexual
    • Acute Stress Disorder
    • Infertility
    • Coaching
    • Anger Management
    • Sex
    • Attachment
    • Coronavirus
    • Counselling
    • Abuse
    • Sadness
    • Divorce
    • Domestic Violence
    DOWNLOAD

    TAC has BACP Membership

    The Awareness Centre is Cyber Essentials Certified

    We are Cyber Essentials Certified

    TAC Clapham

    41 Abbeville Road
    London SW4 9JX
    [email protected]
    020 8673 4545

    Available Services

    check_circle
    Low Cost Therapy
    check_circle
    Private Therapy

    Appointments

    Monday – Thursday:
    7.00am – 10.00pm

    Friday:
    7.00am – 9.00pm

    Saturday:
    9.00am – 5.30pm

    Sunday:
    10.00am – 2.00pm

    TAC Tooting

    74-80 Upper Tooting Road
    London SW17 7PB
    [email protected]
    020 3051 8235

    Available Services

    check_circle
    Private Therapy

    Appointments

    Monday – Thursday:
    7.00am – 10.00pm

    Friday:
    7.00am – 5.30pm

    Saturday:
    9.00am – 5.30pm

    TAC Marylebone

    85 Wimpole Street
    London W1G 9RJ
    [email protected]
    020 8079 0708

    Available Services

    check_circle
    Private Therapy

    Appointments

    Tuesday and Thursday:
    8.00am – 12.00pm

    Email
    Facebook
    Twitter
    LinkedIn
    YouTube
    Instagram
    Pinterest
    • Home
    • Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • TAC Policies
    • Terms

    © 2023 The Awareness Centre Ltd. The Awareness Centre Limited. A company registered in England and Wales, Number: 06194423. Registered Office: 74-80 Upper Tooting Road, London, England, SW17 7PB. Trading as The Awareness Centre.

    This site uses cookies and data collection for personalised advertising. Your data may be shared with third parties for this purpose. Learn more about how we collect data and use cookies, and check that you consent. Manage PreferencesI Consent Learn more
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT