Dear Self, How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

TRP Challenge 2: Write down 100 things you like/love about yourself

I find writing lists extremely therapeutic. The notes section in my phone is filled with shopping lists, lists of gift ideas and lists of chores I need to do. It allows me to focus the constant whirring of my mind, and also helps me to focus on the problem at hand.

Despite my affinity with lists, listing all the things I love about myself was more difficult than I could ever imagine. Tell me to write down all the things I love about a friend or relative & I could reel them off to you no problem. It's like when someone asks you what you are good at in a job interview, or when you are asked during an ice breaker to jot down an interesting fact about yourself. *Shudder*. Your mind goes completely blank & all you can think about is how mundane and average you & your life are. And that's just thinking of 1 or 2 things, I set myself the task of listing 100.

I first heard about this concept through the 'Don't Salt My Game' podcast by Laura Thomas. Laura spoke about how she set it as a challenge for her clients (she is a nutrionist who specialises in intuitive eating). When I hit a really low point a few months back, I decided to take on the challenge myself.

Sitting with a blank screen in front of me, I couldn't think for the life of me where to start. I got up off my bed, changed into my running gear & headed out for a 10 mile run (I was training for a marathon, don't worry, this isn't my normal behaviour). I find going out for a run the perfect thinking break. I made myself focus on the things I liked about myself, the personality traits, the hobbies I had, the things I was good at. Before long I was reeling them off, one after the other.

I got home and started typing. Before I knew it, I had got to number 100. I sat back and smiled. Even during a really trying time mentally, I was able to use my determination to complete a task I never thought I would be able to.

I'm not going to list my 100 things here because (1) that would be tedious and (2) they are personal to me. I sent mysef a copy of the list via email, meaning I always have it on my phone. I can refer back to it on a particulary anxiety provoking situation or low mood, and I remember who the real me is.

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