First things first, if you validate your existence on externalities, you will never truly be happy. While it’s important to have values and to act on them, it shouldn’t be your main source of happiness.
E.g. parent validation, academic validation, and male validation. So, here are some tips to validate yourself.
VALUE YOUR OPINION. You should have the ability to make decisions and identify yourself solely on your opinion. Trust, giving people that ability to shape your decisions and curate your identity, allows them to dictate your worth.
SELF LOVE OVER OTHERS. Ensure you are doing everything in your power to treat yourself lovingly. Even if it means sacrificing a few things in life. E.g. going to sleep early instead of cramming for a test.
BE RESILIENT. When I say that, I don’t mean ‘don't let anything affect you’ but rather, build yourself up to the point that when someone/something knocks you down, you can bounce back easily.
BECOME SELF AWARE. Know your strengths, and weaknesses, and be mindful of the truth. Be genuine when it comes to this because self-awareness helps us with becoming more in touch with our inner selves.
AVOID NEGATIVE SELF TALK. This can cause us to rely on others to hear good things about ourselves. Instead, say affirmations in the mirror.
STOP PEOPLE PLEASING. There’s a difference between genuinely being nice, and being a doormat. You shouldn’t have to bend over backwards for others, and they give absolutely nothing back. Invest that time and effort into yourself.
SOMEONE’S GAIN IS NOT YOUR LOSS. This is a mindset shift that will change the game. You have to stop seeing successful, wealthy, pretty or intelligent people as threatening your skills or talents. There is enough success for everyone.
DETACH FROM OTHERS. Friends, family, males, etc. Stop letting how other people treat you, dictate your mood for the rest of the day. The only factor your mood should depend on is you. What you do, say, and act is the only factor.
KNOCK OTHERS FROM YOUR PEDESTAL. The only person that should be on top of your pedestal, is you. By doing this, you create an inferiority complex for someone else and give them superiority.
OTHER’S OPINIONS ARE MOMENTARY. They will always move on with their day and see what needs to be done. They do not care about you as much as you think. So, do not even try to give them the time of day.
BUILD BOUNDARIES. With others and yourself. Both are equally important because you value yourself enough not to do something you’ll regret.
101 ways to improve self esteem
1) Master a new skill.
2) List your accomplishments.
3) Do something creative.
4) Challenge your limiting beliefs.
5) Talk to a counselor.
6) Don't worry about what others think.
7) Read or watch something inspirational.
8) Stay true to your character.
9) Let go of negative people.
10) Set healthy boundaries with others.
11) Care about your appearance.
12) Welcome failure as part of growth.
13) Be a lifelong learner.
14) Face your fears.
15) Become a mentor.
16) Accept compliments.
17) Eliminate self-criticism.
18) Practice coping skills to manage stress and big emotions.
19) Notice negative thoughts and beliefs.
20) Challenge negative thinking.
21) Think about what you learned from negative experiences.
22) Practice gratitude.
23) Exercise.
24) Eat healthy and limit junk food.
25) Get good sleep.
26) Spend time with positive and supportive people.
27) Encourage yourself.
28) Write a list of your strengths.
29) Don't compare yourself to others.
30) Avoid perfectionism.
31) Do at least one positive, enjoyable activity every day.
32) Celebrate small victories.
33) Be helpful and considerate to others.
34) Be honest with yourself and others.
35) Accept your flaws.
36) Don't give up.
37) Practice self-care.
38) Go easy on yourself.
39) Practice being assertive.
40) Practice saying "No".
41) Practice relaxation techniques.
42) Take on challenges.
43) Volunteer to help others.
44) Forgive others and yourself.
45) Set goals and work toward them step by step.
46) Seek balance in all areas of your life.
47) Discover your passions and purpose
48) Groom yourself.
49) Dress nicely.
50) Be kind and generous to others.
51) Practice good posture.
52) Change a small habit.
53) Smile.
54) Don't procrastinate.
55) Don't take things personal.
56) Organize your personal space.
57) Challenge unkind thoughts about yourself.
58) Spend time outside.
59) Notice the good things.
60) Celebrate your successes
61) Write a list of things you like about yourself.
62) Don't take too much on.
63) Do something for yourself every day.
64) Develop daily habits.
65) Remind yourself it's okay if not everyone likes you.
66) Practice mindfulness.
67) Learn to tolerate discomfort.
68) Use problem-solving skills.
69) Take responsibility instead of blaming.
Tell Yourself Positive Affirmations Such As:
70) I am grateful for every day.
71) I am worthy of happiness and love.
72) I am in charge of my own happiness.
73) I love, respect, and believe in myself.
74) I deserve to be happy and successful.
75) I approve of myself, right here and now.
76) I am learning and changing for the better.
77) I accept 100% responsibility for my own life.
78) Every day in every way, I am getting better and better.
79) I can learn to accept the parts of myself that I don't like.
80) I am thankful for my challenges as they make me a stronger person.
81) Write down three positives about each day.
82) Make a collage with your talents, goals, and dreams.
83) Practice laughing.
84) Be proud of yourself.
85) Say mistakes are an opportunity to learn.
86) Show respect to yourself and others.
87) Resolve conflict peacefully.
88) Ask for help or support.
89) Complete a daily task list.
90) Have a growth mindset.
91) Be optimistic.
92) Treat yourself with kindness and compassion.
93) Focus on the things you have control over and can change.
94) Get started on tasks you have been putting off.
95) Practice good daily hygiene.
96) Focus on solutions not problems.
97) Talk about your feelings with someone you trust.
98) Drink plenty of water.
99) Start a new hobby or join a club/sport.
100) Do random acts of kindness.
101) Create a dreams list.
drink water
this is an absolute game-changer ! bonus if its warm or room temperature, really gets the metabolism going as well as soothes your throat !!
make your bed
this makes my room look MUCH neater, and gives me peace of mind + incentive not to get back under the covers and doze off again TT
meditation
another thing that calms me down greatly and gets me focused and set for the day, i really recommend lavendaire, her meditations are top-tier and she has several lengths to pick from
morning yoga
debloat yoga or stretching is a must for me, it helps aid my digestion as well as reduce bloating in the morning.
exercise
i like to do either shirlyn kim, april han, chloe ting or momomi workouts in the morning ending with a hinafit's full body stretch that's twenty minutes long. i use chloe ting's workouts as cardio mostly and then a set of targeted hiit from momomi and relaxing pilates from shirlyn kim and april han.
i am also trying to go on walks in the morning as well TT
skincare + dental care
my skincare routine in the morning is cleanser + toner + hydrogel + sunscreen + matte sunstick + lip balm and my dental care routine is herbal toothpaste + fluoride toothpaste + mouthwash. i wash my hands between and before/after steps.
shower routine
i use a pumice stone and sugar scrub in the shower to exfoliate along w baby soap and shower gel to clean up. i apply three layers of moisturizer + coconut oil on getting out !!
reading
in the mornings, i like to either annotate classics or read my weekly self-help book or just read educational nonfiction and take notes in my commonplace journal about them.
journalling
i fill out five affirmations, five things i'm grateful for as well as my intentions for the day. i also write down what would make my day great, as well as habits to focus on (at least three)
planning
i plan w/ my planners, notebook and wall calendar spread as well as notion and a habit app, as well as google sheets.
that wraps up this post, and here is the printable checklist spanning four days
hi, i’m binatoki. this is my online diary to document my self-rebrand journey. i am going to go on this journey for 159 days. why? because 7 years ago from that date will be the day that my glow-down started. so in 159 days, i want to be better than i was on that day 7 years ago.
daily non-negotiables:
my non-negotiables are daily habits that i am going to do each day. these habits will help me get better physically, emotionally, mentally, & spiritually. these include:
• movement/exercise— 45 minutes minimum, 10k steps
• clean eating (with minimal occasions)— no alcohol, minimal dairy, minimal refined carbs, minimal sugar. high protein, lots of veggies, herbal tea, water, and supplements
• hair, makeup, skincare, hygiene— styling my hair pretty, wearing makeup, smelling my best, and grooming my best daily. i am going to look the best i can each day
• listen to at least 1 video/podcast or read at least 10 pages of self-improvement material
• get closer to God— use the Bible app, pray, and listen to at least 1 service/Christian video
• must document on here daily
weekly “homework”:
each week, i will be giving myself “homework”. my homework is basically 1-3 tasks that will either get me out of my comfort zone (ie become friends with a stranger) or to boost my level-up (like getting my hair done). the start of the week is monday and the end of the week is sunday
monthly goals:
each month i will give myself 1-3 goals within each category: beauty, health/fitness, finances, career/school, and lifestyle/social.
so what are my goals for the next 159 days?
i can’t list every goal on here because i have so many, but here are the more “major” goals that i’ll be working on.
1. lose 50lbs (i need to lose about 85lbs)
2. move on to my third quarter in nursing school with straight A’s
3. have my dream hair (long, thick, blonde, healthy)
4. keeping my skin plump and youthful (face & body)
5. become debt-free (i’m approx $30k in debt)
6. move out and live on my own again
7. make at least $12k a month / quit my current job
again, i have so many other goals (that i will be writing about) but i’m not trying to make this post super long!
lastly, what parts of myself or my lifestyle will i be leaving behind?
i’m leaving behind the part of me that loves playing into the victim mentality. i’m leaving behind the part of me that let’s her insecurities ruin her day, her mood, and her social life. i’m leaving behind the part of me that is tired, “lazy”, comfortable in my discomfort, and who loves to procrastinate and put things off. for the next 159 days, i’m going to focus on me and the present. i’m not going to focus on who i was in the past anymore. i’m not going to dwell on things i can’t control or change.
so now what?
feel free to follow my journey. i will be posting daily and will keep it raw and authentic. i can’t wait to see how much i’ll grow at the end of the 159 days. i’ll talk to you soon.
— binatoki
Meeting people again after your personality rebrand is so awks
Rest and relaxation…🌸
-silk pillow cases have so many benefits for your skin and hair
-always moisturize after baths/showers
-rubbing ice on your face or using a cold jade roller can reduce face puffiness in the mornings
-bad breath? use a tongue scraper
-ALWAYS take ur makeup off before bed! trust you'll regret it if you don't
-cut ur nails often, to keep them healthy!
-wash your clothes before you wear them again, especially if they smell!
-don't wear pads/panty liners every day unless ur on ur period
-use a non scented soap down there, it prevents infections, it's also a self cleaning organ so you don't need body washes to make it smell nicer
-remember to clean behind your ears after u wash your hair. soap can build up there!
-roll on deodorant stays on longer and are the most effective
-drink more water than usual whilst on ur period!
-don't wear a sweaty bra the next day, wash it!
-NEVER dry shave!
-never wear bras to bed! it can cause damage to the breast tissue! if u want support wear a wireless bralette
-don't EVER sleep with tampons in, it's really dangerous
-wear 100% cotton underwear so the air can circulate down there
-for rapid hair growth, wash with rice water!
-invest in a body brush! it gets all ur dead skin off before showers
What to do when you can’t sleep 💤 🌌🌙
Hi cuties! It is currently 3am while I’m writing this because I just woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep no matter what I did. This is pretty usual for me I am a chronic insomniac and even though I am medicated for it I still will wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to sleep. So here is what I do to make sure my day does not suck even when I only got a few hours of sleep.
First things first give yourself at least an hour without any lights or screen time.
You might still be able to fall back asleep but you got to give yourself the best chance so keep it dark get comfy and do breathing exercises.
If you need you can put on a meditation or breathing exercises video on YouTube those can help you focus rather than you doing it yourself.
If after that hour you are still not falling asleep you need to get out of your bed.
Your bed should be a place of rest so the only thing you should do is sleep in it. Sitting on your phone in your bed is going to create an unhealthy habit that is going to impact your sleep more.
The best thing I ever did for my sleep was making my bed a place I go to to sleep and only sleep
I like to start by realizing why I couldn’t sleep. Sometimes it’s insomnia. Sometimes it’s anxiety or stress. Sometimes it’s not feeling well (like physically sick)
If it’s anxiety or stress you can journal about it or if you are stressed because you have a big project you can even work on it some more or do some planning to make to make things easier. Or to ease your mind.
If you aren’t feeling well notice your symptoms and maybe take some medicine and try to feel better so you can go back to bed. If you are sick I recommend taking medicine then going back and trying to sleep again because that is the best thing for you.
Once you get up you need to understand that right now is probably the best you will feel the whole day.
You can only get more and more tired and you aren’t going to be able to go to sleep until your normal time (maybe a short five minute nap but anything longer you risk messing up your schedule more).
It’s not the most fun realization but it’s important
If you are like me and you just have insomnia or there is no real reason why you can’t sleep I recommend doing things that will make your day easier.
You are going to be exhausted for most the day probably so anything you can do right now while you feel okay is best.
You can clean your room. Write your to do list. I also love doing my laundry because I usually can get it done before I have to start my day. Anything that you can do that future (significantly more tired) you might need help with.
I also recommend waiting to drink caffeine until you would normally.
The reason for this is because if you wake up at 1am you do a couple things and you start to feel tired again you can still go to bed and get multiple hours of sleep before you have to wake up. But if you drink caffeine at 2am you basically have gotten rid of that chance.
Also because the crash would happen sooner in the day making you feel so much worse.
If you have nothing to do I recommend doing something calming with minimal blue light.
I like to listen to calming music and read. This can also help put you back into the mood of sleeping.
Blue light is the same as caffeine too much too early can make your chances of those extra hours extremely low.
Not sleeping is the literal worst thing to deal with on a regular basis. While my medications do help I still have sleepless nights pretty regularly. This is honestly the best thing you can do it sucks but it’s better to tough it out and be tired. Hopefully the next time you go to bed you’ll be so tired you fall asleep instantly. Also if you do struggle with insomnia regularly I recommend reaching out to your doctor because missing sleep is the worst thing for your health. As someone who had a whole year where I only slept a couple hours a week I know the full effects of sleep deprivation and it is not pretty. It might not be anything you are doing wrong it might be something only medication can fix and there is nothing wrong with that. I know that I will probably be on my sleeping meds my whole life but I’d rather take the pill than have another year like that one.
Xoxo rest well babes 💕