On a regular basis, we hear a lot about self-care and self-love. Under this umbrella is self-celebration.
On the surface, the term “self-celebration” may sound narcissistic, egotistic, and self-absorbed. It may be interpreted as putting yourself in the spotlight and giving yourself praises and a pat on the back. After all, specifically what about yourself is being celebrated?
Blogger and author, Sarah Powell, worded this beautifully – Self-celebration is celebrating the person you are now; not your future self or not the person you wish you could be. It is about accepting, encouraging, and empowering yourself at this moment. And you can celebrate who you are, anytime or any place and for any reason.
You can celebrate your intrinsic or extrinsic self-worth. Focusing on WHO you are today as an individual. Or you can celebrate your wins and accomplishments. Oftentimes, we go about our day, week, or month without acknowledging how far we have come, and the little things are easily dismissed with a tunneled vision focus on the bigger moments.
I want to emphasize that self-celebration is not meant to be attention-seeking, bragging, or a need a prove your worth or that you are better than someone else. Self-celebration should not be used as an excuse to falsely celebrate.
When we think of a celebration, it is usually done in the presence of others or with a group. But how do you celebrate yourself when others aren’t around? Think of self-celebration as a support tool, to cheer you on with any changes you want to make in your life. This can be done as private or open as you’d like.
What is self-celebration?
- Celebrating who you are right now. NOT your future self and not the person you wish you were
- Accepting and learning to love the parts of yourself you don’t like
- Supporting yourself in any changes you want to make to your life
- Acknowledge what you love to do and do more of it
- It is your own personal celebration yourself, as private as you like
- A support tool to cheer you on with any changes you want to make
- It recognizes the ACTION regardless of the result
- You have a say in how you feel – rather than seeking external approval and validation
Ways you can self-celebrate:
- Treat yourself to something that you would enjoy, whether it is a physical gift, an experience, or something as small as flowers, a plant, or milk tea. I would rarely buy fresh flowers before because I’d think of them as short lived. I didn’t see the value of it as buying something that would bring joy over a few weeks. On occasions, having fresh flowers or plants in sight really does liven up the space.
- Food has a way of bringing people together and it is one way that we celebrate. Order take out or cook in! Eating the food that you enjoy is one way to take care of your soul. I’ve come to associate how delicious a meal is with the wonderful memories that accompanies the moment. For example, a pizza can be really simple, but it is from a favorite restaurant where I had a lot of good memories and as such, it is one that I enjoy regardless. Yours may be homecooked comfort food, a dessert, or a dish from a favorite restaurant.
- Share the news! Allow yourself to be acknowledged by others. Honor and Be grateful for what you have done and where you are right now. There are people around you who love and care about you. This part is for those of you who are givers. You are always giving to others and you are not one to take. by celebrating yourself, you giving others an opportunity to give to you and to celebrate you. It took me a long time to accept this because I’ve always felt that what I am doing is regular and ordinary. It is what I have to and am expected to do. So I never saw the need or importance of self-celebration. It was over time where I learn that those who care about you, Your wins become their wins.
- Document the moment and feeling in some way, whether it is through journaling, taking a photo, or recording a video/audio clip. It sounds really cheesy I know, but find ways to give yourself the words of affirmation that you deserve. A part of self-celebration is that you have a say in how you feel. Instead of seeking external approvals and validations, you have a say on when you feel accomplished. Sometimes we get caught up in constantly doing, that we don’t look back on how far we have come. Celebrating yourself recognizes your actions regardless of the results. The results that you want may take weeks, months or even years, and you need to keep yourself going for the long haul.
- Give yourself extra time – be it staying up a little later to enjoy a hobby or sleeping early to rest. The time that is set aside to cook dinner, to connect with loved ones, or to sit down for a moment. Intentionally carving out this time is a way to acknowledge and take care of yourself.
If you haven’t celebrated yourself today, then let me celebrate YOU.
Sincerely,
Huong
