Love yourself

Get rid of self-criticism and live your best life

Self-criticism can be considered one of the worst forms of abuse that you can place upon yourself. It may seem minimal to you or “not that bad.” You may even consciously believe that you love yourself for all that you are, then look in the mirror and criticize your facial features. I hear people, all the time, talk about hating this or that about their appearance.

Being a hypnotherapist, I have even gone through training about how to help someone let go of disdain for particular body parts. It never ceases to amaze me, in our world it seems acceptable to be critical of oneself. We take on the media’s added influence that we need more, or less, to be beautiful.

Makeup ads, commercials, beauty enhancement products on the shelves, surgeries, medicine, girdles and even wigs. Of course, do not mistake this article for an anti-beauty product or medical necessities piece. I love makeup and looking great, like the next woman. I also firmly believe in our medical culture in America. What I am asking you to do is love yourself for all that is and all that was. Sadly, this can be a very difficult task to ask some of us to do.

The first step is awareness and making mental changes. Observe yourself. What are your triggers that create self-criticism? When you see a model on the cover of a magazine how does that make you feel? Why? Did you know that those answers begin the process of healing?

“What I am asking you to do is love yourself for all that is and all that was. Sadly, this can be a very difficult task to ask some of us to do.

Think on this. You react to an image. It makes you feel a certain way. You thus create an outward or inward emotion about how it makes you feel. On a conscious level, we might be aware of the judgment and justify that it can’t be helped acceptance of defeat, or blame on others.

“I can’t change the shape of my nose, I hate it, I just have to live with being ugly” or “I inherited this ugly nose from the Jacob’s side of the family. Thanks a lot, Dad.” Both thoughts allow you to continue to feel inadequate. We are presented with constant opportunities, not reminders of inadequacies, but opportunities to grow. These images trigger unfavorable emotion but when looking in the mirror, we are presented with another opportunity to love ourselves!

Choose. Begin today, right now. Start with your hands. Aren’t they beautiful?! All that they’ve held on to in life, all that you have given with those hands. WOW! Beautiful! It’s time to become aware of your true beautiful self.

It is time to begin the process of letting go of critical thoughts that do not serve your higher wellbeing. YOU, yes YOU. You are beautiful.

Laurie DeBruin CCH,CRR is the owner of Chrysalis Reflexology Hypnosis & Enrichment Center. Reach her at (517) 648.1980.