Being kind to others often comes naturally to many of us working within the care sector but being kind to ourselves may not.

Research shows that kindness to ourselves:

• strengthens our sense of self – our identity
• boosts our self esteem
• helps with our confidence
• improves our sense of optimism
• helps us cope better with stress
• improves resilience – our ability to bounce back after a setback
• helps us to stay present with ourselves and others.

Make time for yourself and find out more.

Kindness has the power to create long lasting feelings for both ourselves and those around. Think back to a time when someone showed you kindness, how did it make you feel? Good, right? But we often forget that we also need to be kind to ourselves.

Some ways you can be kind to yourself include:

Hobbies – Being kind to yourself can look like rediscovering old hobbies or putting time into the ones you enjoy now. When doing hobbies, you are often by yourself or with others (depending on what you prefer). We all either prefer and get energy from either being on our own or surrounded by others, in doing so it can boost being kind to ourselves, whether we are aware that is happening or not. When doing a hobby in a group or by yourself, you are fuelling your passions and enjoyment for various activities, such as playing a musical instrument, painting, dancing, taking part in a sport etc.

Being grateful – It is known that by listing what you are grateful for can boost kindness to ourselves. Keep a notebook close by or even use your phone, there are a few apps that could help with this. Search 'Gratitude apps' it could be useful to write or type three things you are grateful when you go to bed and first thing in the morning. By doing this, you get the opportunity to reflect and stay present with the day that you just had or are just beginning. There is always something to be grateful about.

Jay Shetty, who lived as a monk in India for three years, is now a motivational speaker, spreading what he learnt.

In 2020 Jay Shetty posted a video on twitter, asking a group of people to write something down that they don't like about themselves. He then invited their younger sisters in, who had been listening to what they had to tell him. He asked those who shared if they would be comfortable reading out what they wrote to their sisters but as if it was about them and they all refused.

We are so quick to judge ourselves but would never think of saying those negative comments we say to ourselves to the ones we love.

Reflect on the difficult things – Using either a notebook or a phone you can reflect on what you find difficult, do you have any unresolved emotions or situations? Write or type down what comes to your mind. You might be surprised by how long you start writing or typing for and how much pressure is taken from you while doing so.

By being kind to ourselves, we can boost our mental health so that we can stay present and fully witness the ways it feels to be kind to others and so that the best possible care for others is given.

"Treat yourself with the same love and respect we want to show others." Jay Shetty.

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