Noticing Yourself More (Substack Writings)

There’s this common thing that many of us do, prioritizing loving, caring for, and noticing others more than we ever do ourselves.

And while that’s admirable, when do we turn that great love and appreciation back onto ourselves? How would we show up for ourselves and others if we did that more often, consistently?

An Experiment for You

Try this today (my experiment as well) to get more comfortable learning how to appreciate yourself more. Of note, most of these are not about doing anything for anyone else. They’re mostly about you being you. That’s the first step:

Try Gratitude: Before you start your day, take a quick moment to find gratitude for how far you’ve come and for all that you are. This isn’t about accomplishments or achievements, material things, or having everything perfect or exactly the way you want it. It’s about being present with yourself and recognizing how far you’ve come because you survived, overcame, and are still here.

Try Appreciation: Find things to appreciate — big or small. Today, I finally made it back to the gym after falling off my schedule (again). Kudos to me for never giving up on getting my routine down even after years of challenge. Tomorrow, I’ll appreciate myself again. And the next day, and the next day, until I get there. Next up a solid writing routine!

Go Light – Try Joy: Remember a funny memory that made you proud of yourself. There was a time when I lifted the morale of my team during a difficult time simply by trying something extremely odd but silly enough to help: the “slow clap.” 😍 And it worked! Not only did it generate a ton of laughs for an entire year, it became my signature move at all our meetings. Oh good times, good times …

Noticing and Appreciating

The point of these simple exercises is to get you more comfortable with noticing yourself. To take you away from overthinking, criticism, comparison, and over-giving and bring you back into the present moment where you actually are.

Because you deserve the same kind of consideration, attention, and love you give to others. Maybe more often than you think.

Here’s to appreciating and loving ourselves more. 🤍 ~ C

If you’re inspired, share in the comments your own experiments or any successes you’ve had with noticing yourself more.

Thank you for reading! 🤍