One big source of anxiety can be when we are not accepting ourselves. Do you ever put pressure on yourself or beat yourself up for :

not being thin enough? outgoing enough? successful enough? being rich enough? being too old? being too young? etc. etc.

We all do this from time to time and I am here to tell you that we need to stop with the critical self talk! It is a very unkind and unhealthy practice. Many of us are sweet, “nice” people who would never dream of being unkind to someone else. So why would  we be hurtful to ourselves? That makes no sense.

I’ve spent years doing this to myself, feeling like I had to be perfect. When I felt that I wasn’t being perfect (didn’t get that A, was being too shy at a party etc.), I would feel very upset with myself. It really came out mostly at night when I was trying to sleep. I would toss and turn and replay the ways of my imperfection over and over again. Well, perfectionism sucks! So does the resulting anxiety and insomnia that so often comes with it.

It is truly time to make peace with ourselves here and now. It is time to practice acceptance. Be in the now. Stop fretting and worrying about some perceived misstep or misdeed from the past. Just quit it, aready!

Things to try to be more accepting of ourselves:

1. Remind ourselves that we are enough, just as we are.
2. Remind ourselves that others are not busy thinking about us as we are imagining they are (they are too busy with their lives or being preoccupied with what we or others are thinking about them).
3. Get out our journals and write down all of our talents, strengths, and achievements. We truly are remarkable.
4. Do not permit critical self talk. Every time you start, imagine that you are slitting your throat. It is that harmful.
5. Perfectionism is highly over rated. It doesn’t really exist. Even people that we think are living perfect lives (neighbors in the beautiful oceanfront mansion, celebrities we admire etc.) are human and have their own challenges just like you and me.

Being more accepting of yourself will greatly help your peace of mind, reduce anxiety, and restore good sleeping patterns. It is important and necessary work. Doing things like taking sleep medication may help but at best, it is a short term solution- a band aid. Working on achieving peace of mind will give you much more lasting and real good nights of sleep.

Other things to try: meditation, breathing, and journal writing exercises. The Warm Milk Journal will continue to provide ideas to promote  physical and mental health. I believe we sleep our best and live a higher quality of life when we are accepting of ourselves and being the most centered we can be.

* Please note: I am not a doctor or medical practitioner of any kind. If you are currently on any kind of medication please don’t stop taking it because of something you read here. Always talk with your doctor before getting on or off medication related to sleep, anxiety, or other health issues.

Debra : )

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