Happy Tuesday friends….
A lot of times individuals feel disgruntled because they don’t feel appreciated by other people. That’s understandable. Naturally we all long to be appreciated by others. But if our happiness hinges on the encouragement of others, we may occasionally find ourselves being needlessly discouraged.
The answer is to encourage yourself! Here are a few ways to do just that.
1️⃣Small pieces of bigger blessings.
While encouraging yourself, it’s great to kickoff with the long-familiar and obvious things like family, friends, your home, and so forth. But once you’ve named those things, try to be more particular.
For example, if you’re grateful for your family, individually list the members of your family and then compose a detailed listing of all of the ways you’re thankful for that particular family member. The same can be true for the other biggies. For example, if you’re thankful for your home (and you ought to be, even if it’s humble!), list the particulars about what you value about your home.🙂
Think through every facet of your home, and individually, list what you’re thankful for. They are things you take for granted, and yet would certainly miss if you didn’t have them! I’ve found it helpful to center on one small aspect of the various big things in my life daily and list utterly everything I can think that will encourage me.
2️⃣List of your gifts.
We frequently center on what we’re not good at, or ways we go wrong or wish were different. But we all have assorted gifts and abilities. Centering on those things can provide a good deal of encouragement. Nothing is too little to list! Or, as in the case above, begin with something big, and then list utterly everything you are able to dream up that comes under that certain category. Generallyspeaking, every talent that you have includes multiple “sub talents.” Be particular!
3️⃣Recall the past.
Occasionally when setbacks happen, like not being able to pay the rent on time, remind yourself of the fact that you’ve always managed to keep a roof over your head in the past, and that somehow things will work out this time also.
As well, when remembering the past, occasionally it’s great fun to think way back, even to childhood, about fun, interesting, and exciting experiences. Frequently this makes me laugh, and it also helps me to see how rich and terrific my life has been – and without doubt, will continue to be.
4️⃣Name your cares.
This might seem like an unusual way to be encouraged, and I’ll acknowledge that initially naming my cares sometimes causes me tension! But, naming my cares is often the first step in coping with the issues impending, and as I deal with them, I’m encouraged.
As well, as I name my cares – particularly if write in my journal about them – I frequently see that they are not as bad and scary as I thought. Frequently, when I journal about my cares or the things I’m baffled about, I find that I’m blowing things out of proportion and that the situation isn’t nearly as bad as I initially believed. That’s encouraging!
Remind yourself of encouragement from other people. Yes, this is about encouraging yourself, but occasionally you are able to do that by remembering past encouragement from other people. Maybe no one has done anything to encourage you this past week or even month, but we’ve all had moments of encouragement from other people in the past.
Have an awesome day and be encouraged friends….
Olivia B. Shepherd 