Embrace You ....................................

I might be aging myself here, but did you have a pen pal as a kid? I did! I remember how excited I was when my letter arrived in the mail. It was a wonderful experience to hold a letter that came from another state or country that someone else took the time and thought to write a letter back to me. I loved sitting down, writing and sharing something from my heart, funny or serious. The exchange was so fun as I was able to share my authentic self to someone else in a meaningful way without judgment. 

My first pen pal was assigned to me in the 5th grade. She was another 5th grader from Alabama. In the 6th grade, I was assigned my second pen pal from Germany. Both pen pals added so much to my learning because of their cultures as they were different from mines growing up in Illinois.

The simplicity of writing a letter to a pen pal afforded me the experience to be myself, dream and listen while understanding others just the same. That experience alone taught me that I can embrace myself although it can be hard due wanting to fit in or change based on so-called norms in our society and/or culture.

Meaningful connections with others have been lost due to our overuse of social media and texting. I love technology and its benefits, but nothing will ever replace the human connection needed within ourselves or from others.

Here are some ways to embrace yourself and connect with others now:

1. Don't wait until you find someone to like or love you - start small by saying one kind thing a day to yourself
2. Don't wait until you lose weight - pick a body part, appreciate it right now and do this for at least 1 week
3. Share with others, no texting, how you really feel – call a loved one and tell them what you love about them and how they support you
4. Give yourself a break – it's okay to rest when you feel exhausted; give yourself permission
5. Avoid criticizing yourself – you're human and will make mistakes time to time, it's OK try not to take yourself so serious
6. Tell yourself the truth – how do you want to be treated, what aren't willing to do, what are your needs right now?
   
   

When you embrace yourself, you are being kind to yourself in ways others couldn't do! You're not being judgmental or bashing yourself. When you embrace yourself, you can see clearer and valuable learning opportunities about yourself, what works and doesn't, while identifying a solution to your problems and taking great care of yourself. If you don't know who you are, now would be the perfect time to be curious! Embracing yourself can seem like a big, complicated task, but it can be something fun done this minute.

Start now!