How I Became A Better Me

Every morning I wake up and I stretch my body and it feels amazing. I walk over to the my mirror and I hug myself. I embrace myself, I see all my imperfections and call them beautiful. I talk to myself in the mirror and tell myself that today is going to be a good day because why not? I started doing all this 4 months ago and it has changed me from within. It changed that negative view point I had towards myself and my day. I use to be so self conscious about my body because I was bullied in school and those words stuck with me all these years. I recently learned to let go of those thoughts. Fall of 2020, I started learning self-love and self-care. I never want to treat myself in a toxic way ever again. I had to really think “is that way of thinking healthy?”, I had to think; “how do I treat my friends? Do I talk to them in a toxic way?” Of course not! So why am I doing this to myself? It’s so easy to fall into a habit of mistreating ourselves and beat ourselves up but that isn’t the way of a positive life. I started buying books on self-love and self-care and it really has organized my mind.

Journaling has really help with building up confidence in my self and it has made me more aware of how I was thinking and feeling. When you write down your thoughts, you’re able to notice the negative thinking clearer and correct it, of course it will take time to reprogram your mind but the more you work on yourself the better you’ll become. It took me years to fully understand myself and understand that I am worthy, So if you take awhile too it’s okay, don’t beat yourself up. Everyone has different strengths and sometimes it just takes a little longer for some but just know you will get there.

Taking care of my health has also help me to organize my mind. I used to eat a lot of junk and process foods but now I eat a balanced healthy diet. It’s kind of crazy that what you eat can affect your mental health. Eating dark green vegetables can boost your mood and decrease depression and anxiety. Vegetables like spinach, kale, broccoli can boost serotonin (a hormone in our bodies that stabilizes our mood, feelings of well-being, and happiness.)

And when we eat foods that are unhealthy it decreases it. What we eat can really affect our mood. If you find it hard to eat veggies then spice it up! Simple spices can certainly change the way vegetables can taste, don’t settle for bland vegetables. Garlic, Paprika, Black pepper and Himalayan pink salt is what I love to use on my veggies especially if I bake them.

I have learned that if I truly love myself then I have to take care of me; not just my mental health but my body too. Getting plenty of sleep and exercise has boosted my mood as well. When you work out your body releases the “happy hormones” and by that you’ll feel a lot better after working out. If it’s your first time exercising then I would suggest taking it slow.

It took me awhile to get use to it but I love it now, it’s nice to see some results even if their small. Remember always praise yourself for doing something that’ll make you a better person. Don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t get to where you wanted to be at in a certain time... it takes time to grow and heal so please don’t get wrapped up in the I have to do this before this year is over... as long as you do something that’s the first step to becoming the better you, that’s all that matters.