I saw this yellow star highlighted on one of my morning walks, and it started a reflection around acknowledgement. I remember from watching american movies, that the school children were rewarded gold stars, when they had done something good and how it was a sign of recognition of their achievements. A star system, that should help motivate them.
So I saw this star, as a little pat on the back for myself and had a lot of positive thoughts, about how much we humans actually achieve every day and how we deserve lots of gold stars for our efforts! I don't know how good you are at recognizing yourself and saying well done, but maybe this picture can initiate some thoughts in you too and remind you how well you are doing!
Acknowledging and telling ourselves, that we are doing well and actually saying it out loud, is important for our self-esteem and motivation. When you say your words out loud, you force your brain to listen in a completely different way. It's good for our mental health, to pause and take time to tell yourself, how good you are and how well you're actually doing.
It might feel strange or unnatural to stand there and talk to yourself, and the self-critical thoughts and internal voices can quickly come and try to shut it down. It's something you can practice and train yourself to do and then in time, it won't feel so strange anymore. Instead, you will feel the nice benefits that come with recognizing yourself.
If it feels a little difficult, you could start by pretending you were talking to a good friend. Many find it easier to say nice things to others than to themselves. So if you were your friend, what would you say to him or her, that they had done well today or during the week. Talking to yourself in 2nd person, can make it easier to both talk and listen to, because it's pushed a little outside of yourself. It can therefore be a little easier to relate to, when it's not so close to oneself.
When you've become a little more comfortable with it, I would encourage you to switch to 1st person, so you replace you with I. This means that you talk about yourself more directly and listen more intensely, and therefore you will also be able to feel it stronger. You are doning great things and you deserve lots of recognition for that. Take in all of your acknowledgement and give yourself lots of stars!
If you want to practice more with saying nice things to yourself, there are a lot of positive affirmations you can try. You can also find videos on YouTube, that you can listen to or make your own. It's about doing what works for you and bring you joy and motivation, to keep doing the things that are important to you in your life.
Fire away with gold stars and remember; "That you have all the strength in you that you need!"
Best wishes Malene Summer Stougaard