Being Kind to Yourself and Practicing Positive Self-Talk

Self-care is not just about activities, exercise, and taking relaxing bubble baths to 
unwind. Sometimes, it is about how you show up for yourself and talk to yourself. If you 
find that most of your thoughts about yourself and your success are negative or toxic, 
then your self-care routine needs to include positive self-talk and the simple act of being 
kinder to yourself.


Positive Self-Talk in the Mirror

This might seem silly, but it really has an amazing impact on how you feel about 
yourself. Try practicing self-talk while looking in the mirror, as if you are telling yourself 
everything you love and appreciate about yourself. And yes, this requires actually 
looking into a mirror and talking to yourself.

It might help at first to write things down you want to say, so you aren’t standing in front 
of a mirror just feeling awkward trying to talk to yourself. 

What should you say? Anything that says something positive about yourself, but not just 
your appearance. Here are some ideas:

You are strong and capable.
You can do this!
You are doing an amazing job. 
Wow, you look so beautiful.

It can also be specific to something you are struggling with, or just a little boost of 
confidence.


Keep a Journal of Positive Thoughts

You can also start writing in your journal in a more positive way, focusing on only good 
things to say about yourself. Every time you write in the journal, focus on only saying 
good things. Even if you made a mistake or you are disappointed by something, just put 
a positive spin on it. Over time, you will learn how you can make just about anything 
positive.


Write Down Daily Affirmations

Another excellent self-care activity for positive self-talk is to write affirmations. Similar to 
what you say to yourself, these will be short statements or sentences that are positive 
and help boost your mood and confidence. Different people use them for different 
things, from helping to reduce anxiety and stress, to boosting your self-confidence.

Affirmations are a great way to practice self-care on a daily basis, and only take a 
couple minutes to do.


Practice Gratitude for Self-Care

Gratitude is a wonderful practice that everyone should be doing on a daily basis, but if 
you find you aren’t showing gratitude enough, you can do it as part of your daily self-
care routine. Get out your journal, notebook, or just a document on your computer, and 
try to write 5-10 things you are grateful for each and every day.




