The preacher, Reverend Ethel
Mguli
The best thing you can do for yourself is to
work on loving who you are, because you
cannot love others when you do not love
yourself.
You need to start by looking inwards and
then moving towards others. And to do that,
you need time alone, in silence, to reflect
on who you are. Think about who God is
to you and to others. How do you relate to
God and to the people around you?
It doesn't matter where you do it, it's just
important that you have this time of spiritual
reflection in your daily life.
Women have always looked down
on themselves – and they've been
pushed down, too. Women need the
encouragement to think, "I am myself. I
will look up to myself and I will not look
down again."
The psychologist, Sarashnee Govender
One of our biggest problems is that we are
so very critical of ourselves. Did you know
that we talk to ourselves for 16 hours a day?
When I tell my clients that, they look at me
as if I'm crazy, and then I tell them that,
by even thinking that, they are talking to
themselves.
Often our thoughts about ourselves are
negative, and we need to make a conscious
effort to monitor those thoughts. Stop
yourself from thinking, "Silly me!", and
rather think, "That didn't work, so how can I
do things differently?"
From there, start thinking about
everything more positively. And let yourself
enjoy the moment. Have a good laugh. It
really does make you feel better.
Taking care of how you look also
helps you to be happy with who you
are. You sometimes find that with a lot of
responsibility, people who were once very
vibrant disappear into the background
because they are not taking time to take
care of themselves. And grooming is
important for our self-esteem, as is setting
little goals for ourselves in the day – even
hanging out the washing can give you a
feeling of accomplishment. Enjoy it!
The life coach, Yolanda McAdam
We get so caught up in our busyness that
we neglect our spirits.
And that's a bad thing. Our souls suffer if we
don't take time out to think deeply.
So, how do we live more spiritually
fulfilling lives? Activities such as prayer,
meditation, yoga classes, morning walks,
long runs, volunteer work, retreats or art
classes are all good for reflection – and the soul.
Practice makes perfect
Pay attention – look at things as if you are
seeing them for the first time or the last.
See the ordinary and the extraordinary
in everything around you loved ones,
nature, people's thoughts and actions.
Live in the now – stop obsessing about
the past and focus on the present.
Acknowledge beauty – express yourself
through drawing, writing, painting or
pottery.
Connect with others – reach out
and touch other lives, and practise
compassion.
Celebrate life – sprinkle everything you
do with zest, and don't hold back.
Spread hope – fuel and support the
dreams of others.
Be kind – live words of
encouragement and perform good
deeds.
Really listen – when we listen to another
human being, we acknowledge not only
the person, but also his or her soul. And
when we start to listen, we hear our own
inner voices.
Enjoy silence – our days are filled with
too much noise and we need daily moments
of silence to know what is going on
inside. Turn off your cellphone and let
your family know you need at least 15
minutes of me time every day.
Do you have any tips for learning to love yourself? Share them in the comment box below.