Weekends are for self care.
After a long week, it's critical that you spend at least two days focusing on yourself and your mental health.
Personally, I practice self care throughout the week. Self care is apart of my daily routine. I do self care activities at the start and end of my day.
Previously, I introduced my morning self care routine. My morning routine is a big part of my self care plan. Not only is it simple but it's also very effective.
This week for self care, I've focused on perception and how it's affected my progression in life.
One of my quotes this week briefly touched on the topic. If you're confused, I’ll catch you up.
Every day, I post a new daily quote to my Instagram page.
Daily quotes are usually something uplifting, empowering or motivational to kick off the day. In addition, to the quote I also create a powerful short message that connects back to the quote.
More Daily Quotes
IG: @HeavieTalk
The quote that resonated with me the most this week:
Your perception has everything to do with your progression.
This quote has continued to weigh on my mind because perception is reality. Perception controls everything.
What is perception?
The definition of perception is “mental intuition” or a way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something. In simple terms, perception is how you view something or someone. It’s your opinion or insight.
Perception is critical to your life and who you are as a person. You function the way you do and believe what you believe because of your perceptions.
The way you perceive things directly impacts your decision making skills, political ties, morals, values, beliefs, self consciousness, self esteem, well being and much more. How do you perceive yourself?
Being aware of how you perceive yourself is important.
What is self perfection?
Self perception is everything because it possess the power. Your life is run by self perception, the way you perceive yourself both good or bad. Your perception controls and dictates your career/career choices, your abilities and most importantly your everyday life. In addition, it may also be the source of your fears, habits, and downfalls.
Self perception will either be a hindrance or a tool for progression.
For a long time, I wasn’t aware of how I perceived myself. I lacked complete self awareness. After some deep self evaluation, I realized how perception was affecting my progression, both personally and professionally. I wasn’t reaching my full potential. I was afraid to try new adventures. I didn’t believe in myself.
My self perception was affecting my self esteem.
The definition of self esteem is “confidence in one’s own worth or abilities; self-respect.” In other words, self esteem is how much you appreciate, value or like yourself. Your level of self esteem makes it more or less easy or likely for you to be motivated to reach your full potential.
Signs of low self esteem
Criticizing yourself
Social withdrawal
Difficulty speaking up or prioritizing your needs
Feeling undeserving of happiness or more
Aggression/Hostility
Signs of high self esteem
Valuing yourself & others
Being vulnerable to intimacy
Taking care of yourself (physically, mentally)
Doing work you enjoy
Effects of Self Esteem
Studies show that having Low self esteem affects quality of life. Low self esteem has been linked to several mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. It’s important to check your self esteem level. You need to be self aware.
Benefits to having a healthy self esteem
Confident in your abilities
Assertive and able to express your needs, desires and opinions
Able to create positive relationships
Open to criticism and feedback
Self Esteem VS. Self Perception
Self perception and esteem are directly linked.
Your perception affects your self esteem. The important thing to note is neither are permanent. You can change your self perception which affects your self esteem.
How To Change Your Perception
There are a lot of different ways to change your perception and to build good self esteem. Here are a few simple but effective techniques:
Recite positive affirmations
Identify your flaws & work on them
Learn how to accept compliments & kind gestures
Affirm your self worth
Changing My Perception
For me, affirmations have been the simplest but most effective tool in changing my self perception. Affirmations work for me because I have a bad habit of speaking and giving power to negative thoughts.
We are all guilty of giving negative thoughts power and complaining. The minuscule things we say to ourselves on a daily basis, impact our perception.
Simple phrases like:
“I can’t do this”
“I’m not good enough”
“I’m not ready for this”
all stem for your self perception and impact your self consciousness.
I’ve discussed affirmations often in previous posts.Affirmations are statements that you write or say, which helps you to challenge and overcome negative thoughts. They are a powerful way to change your self perception.
Use affirmations to affirm and uplift yourself.
The Keys to Affirmations:
Say them aloud.
Say them with conviction.
Aloud
Use your voice. Reacting your affirmations is just as important as creating them. There is alot of power and benefit in saying your affirmations aloud. Say your affirmations aloud is like talking to yourself. you need to allow your self conscious to hear it. Just saying them in your head is not sufficient.
Conviction
The definition of conviction is a firmly held belief or opinion. In other words, conviction is having a strong belief, thought, opinion or view on something. The act of being passionate. My mommy’s classic phrase is “say it like you meant” you’re doing yourself no good if you recite your affirmations effortlessly and dull. Say it with your chest. Say it with conviction.
Starting today going forth, recite 10 positive and uplifting affirmations in the mirror everyday.
Make sure that you are doing them correctly. Use your voice. Say them aloud with conviction.
You are in control of you.
You have the power and authority to change your self perception and esteem.