"Be kind to yourself."

Life isn’t always beautiful or perfect, no matter how much money you have. I’ve learned that over the years. You want something today, you get it tomorrow, and then... You realize there’s something else you still don’t have. It’s this endless cycle, isn’t it?

You see motivational quotes everywhere: “Be kind to yourself.” We read them, we see them, but do we really believe them enough to imbibe? More often than not, I ignore them. I mean, growing up, and even now, there is this feeling that I need financial stability to treat myself to something nice. You know, something that would make me feel good. Is that really what “Be kind to yourself” means?

You might think:

"Being kind to yourself... It’s almost impossible. How can I do that when the world doesn’t seem built for kind people? Each day feels like a struggle not to stay stuck. I wake up every morning feeling like I need to work my ass off, and when I don’t, I feel guilty because I’m still not where I need to be.”

“I’m not asking for too much.”

I don’t think any of us are. Sure, we see all the glitz and glam on social media, but when it comes down to it, most of us just want the basics: a roof over our heads, food on the table, nice clothes to wear, and enough left over for a medical emergency. That’s all.

Here’s the thing:

Being kind to yourself isn’t about fancy gifts or pampering yourself. It’s about survival. It’s about allowing yourself to feel, without guilt. It’s choosing to rest without feeling like you’re wasting time. It’s saying, “I’m doing my best,” even when everything around you says you’re not enough. Financial security, yes, that matters. But the simple things we all need to live, food, shelter, health, those aren’t too much to ask for. That’s basic humanity.

It’s hard to ignore the stress of not knowing if you’ll make rent or be able to pay for healthcare when you need it, because these things are the foundation of our well-being. We shouldn’t have to work ourselves into the ground just to maintain the basics. And yet, that is often what it feels like we are forced to do, even when we want to "be kind to ourselves".

I think the struggle, the guilt, the constant feeling of not doing enough, it’s all part of a larger problem. We’ve built a society that values productivity above all else. We’ve made success synonymous with endless work, with more, with bigger and better. But the truth is, we don’t need all of that to be happy. We don’t need to be constantly climbing, constantly achieving. Sometimes, we just need to stop, take a breath, and say, “I’ve done enough for today,” and that is being kind to yourself.

Being kind to yourself means acknowledging your limits, your struggles, and your humanity. It means forgiving yourself for not being perfect, for not having it all figured out. It means accepting that sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is to give yourself a break. Rest is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. And taking care of your mental health, your peace, your emotional well-being is just as important as anything else you do.

I’m learning that being kind to myself might just mean giving myself the grace to keep trying, even when the world doesn’t make it easy.