September Challenge: Appreciate Yourself!

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 This week's challenge is to spend time appreciating yourself. We encourage you to take at least one moment each day to notice and savor one great thing about your body, approach to life, skills, strengths, or anything else that makes you unique. 

This may be quite a shift from your current practices, so here are some tips:

  • Make time: Setting aside time to be intentional can help turn this from checking a box to a meaningful exercise. While simple, appreciating yourself is not necessarily easy. If you are having a hard day it might take a little more time to get into the right headspace, find a meaningful aspect to appreciate, and revel in it. 
  • What would ____ say? Consider what your dog, best friend, boss, or spouse would appreciate about you. 
    • My dog just loves my throwing arm and my snuggles are top-tier. Who am I to disagree with canine wisdom?
  • Get Specific: Pick a body part at random, and consider what you love most about it. 
    • What do I love most about my toenails? They are healthy, and they have never caused me stress. I feel lucky I don't have to think about them much.
  • Activity based appreciation: Think of one of your favorite activities. What about your body or personal qualities has helped you with this? 
    • I enjoy time with my children. My physical endurance and my love of learning has helped to make me the parent that I am. I am full of appreciation for these parts of myself.

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