Kindness makes this world a better place. You can spread happiness and joy with a warm smile, be courteous to others and practice empathy. These actions help you become a kind, compassionate and decent human being. But how often do you think of being kind to yourself? The true essence of spreading kindness is finding it within. This World Kindness Day, let’s explore ways in which you can be kind to yourself.

Introduced by the World Kindness Movement at a Tokyo Conference in 1997, World Kindness Day is observed globally on 13th November every year. The purpose of this day is to highlight the power of compassion – how little acts of kindness create a ripple effect for the greater good. On this occasion, you can reflect on being kinder and considerate to make this world a better place.

If you are always hard on yourself, you probably feel overwhelmed all the time. This World Kindness Day, consider doing the following and cut yourself some slack.

Nobody is perfect, and it is okay to make mistakes and learn from them. So, instead of being your worst critic, go easy on yourself. No matter what you do, focus on growing out of your erroneous ways and try to do better the next time. Forgiveness helps you heal, feel less burdened by your past, and empowers you to move on in life.

In this fast-paced world, you may feel you have no time to assess your feelings. You may be suppressing your emotions as it seems easy to do so than to deal with them. Suppressing emotions may seem sensible in the moment but can impact you later. The pent-up emotions can cause anxiety and even lead to a mental breakdown. So be kind to yourself – analyse your feelings and address them.

You may have learnt that adulthood is about being serious and responsible. But if you take these learnings too seriously, you may forget to tend to your inner child. Being an adult doesn’t mean you should stop doing things that made you happy as a child. In fact, you should listen to your inner child more often to keep your heart young, healthy and happy, like it was when you were a child.

People often get overwhelmed when they have big hopes. While being hopeful helps you achieve your goals, setting unrealistic expectations often causes disappointment. Unrealistic expectations can also sour your relationships and impact your mental well-being. By set realistic, achievable expectations of yourself and others, you can stay practice kindness instead of pushing yourself to a breaking point.

Caring about your mental and physical health is the ultimate act of kindness. If despite your efforts, you fall ill, you can rely on your health insurance policy. Health insurance gives you mental peace and helps you pay for sudden medical expenses.

This World Kindness Day, gift yourself a health insurance policy as the ultimate act of self-compassion.