Step 2 - Act Like the Positive You Plan
Start treating Yourself like as someone deserving of fun and recognition of our achievements or instead do you neglect yourself and withdraw from life? Experiencing enjoyment and a sense of accomplishment are an important part of everyday experience, which makes us feel good about ourselves and our lives. Treating yourself well will start seeing yourself in a more balanced and accepting light.
- The first step to changing the way you treat yourself is to first observe your current life style. Keep a record for a week or two of the activities you engage in each day and then rate the sense of pleasure and achievement (0-10) that you get from doing that activity. When you have done this, reflect on your schedule. what do you make of it?
- When doing this activity it is important to remember that we are not talking about the big stuff but the everyday things that you find rewarding. eg cooking a nice meal, doing some gardening,, going to the gym. By observing how your week is currently you will start to recognise your accomplishments and achievements and determine if you need to inject more activities into you life.
- Once you have a good sense of what you week looks like you can determine what you would like to change. In your Journal create a list of activities you would find fun and rewarding. Each week choose two or three activities from the list. Plan ahead which activity you will do, when you will do it(date) and record your sense of pleasure and achievement BEFORE and AFTER each activity. this will let you know if the activity has been helpful.
Remember that it takes a long time for an oyster to make a pearl from a grain of sand - so be like an oyster and start small. In the beginning, the important thing is not what you do or how much you do, but simply the fact that your are DOING. Action is the first step, not motivation.
