Self-praise might not be wired into our DNA but there is nothing wrong with giving yourself a pat on the back.
In fact, telling yourself just how damn good you are is all part of good self-care personal admin.
How often do you give yourself a glowing 5 star review?
Probably not that often, if ever. You’re more likely to be awarding yourself 3 stars because of all the cock-ups you make.
Well, forget those. This is about the effort you put into living each day with all its glorious banana skins, disasters and faux pas.
You, warts and all, deserve more than a measly 3 star rating. It’s time to upgrade and add a couple more pointy things.
Now is the time to give yourself a 5 star review without holding back on the pulsating positives.
This is the moment to be dishing out plenty of self-applause and some ‘whoop whoops’ for good measure.
No, I mean it. Compliment yourself, go the whole hog, you need to hear it.
If you are going through cancer then you definitely deserve those 5 stars because you are doing bloody marvellously.
If you can manage to get through treatment and still have the energy to make yourself a cup of tea then that in itself deserves some self-congrats.
Cancer is going to make you feel like poo and you don’t deserve that. What you do deserve is massive credit for going through the peaks and troughs.
You have to acknowledge what a massive effort all this is and your inner self needs to hear you giving it some positive feedback.
You are entitled to feel good about yourself but don’t think that praise all has to come from others. You are your biggest supporter and cheerleader. You can make or break you.
Award yourself a medal too whilst you’re at it. And a trophy.
Why?
Come on, you know why! Because you are surviving the scariest part of your life ever and you are handling it with dignity and grace.
Ok, so what if you get angry and swear a lot when things really get you down because you pull yourself out of it.
That’s a 5 star performer.
And that’s you.
Self-praise is by definition, DIY and you probably don’t think you are any good at DIY. But you are. The more you do it, the better you get.
Try it and see. You might just find your self-esteem comes out from hiding behind that wall, remember, the one that you built!
Oh, and don’t worry about your ego getting too big for its boots because there will be plenty of challenges to keep things in check.
Giving yourself fabulous reviews is not self-centred or selfish, it’s self-care and self-betterment.
The problem is, we undervalue ourselves too much.
A 5 star review can do many things for us: it can increase your self-worth, increase your stress resilience, strengthen your identity, increase your happiness and make you feel great even when you’re feeling bad.
You are brilliant and you know it.
Now award yourself the Sheriff’s badge because you’re in charge.