Salsa Verde Chicken Mac & Cheese

We all know the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. But have you considered treating yourself the way you treat others? We should all embrace the idea of becoming our own best friends. It's high time we started taking better care of ourselves.

Although it seems intuitive, it's very easy to neglect yourself when stressed, and when times get tough, we are more likely to beat ourselves up than someone else.  However, this is precisely when you should ask yourself if this is how you would treat your best friend in a similar situation. For most of us, the answer would always be a resounding no.

If you wouldn’t say something to your best friend, mom, sister, or any woman you care about, then why say it to yourself? If you respect the boundaries of those you love, why not yours? And if you show them compassion, why not extend that kindness to yourself? Why do we tend to be harder on ourselves than anyone else?

No matter what you do for someone else, some days it's hard to even muster an "I like you" for yourself. Liking yourself, never mind loving yourself, is easier said than done. Yet the truth is that everything is connected, from how you treat yourself to how others treat you. What you say to and about yourself matters.
I often think about my husband, who confidently looks in the mirror and exclaims, “How can you keep your hands off me?” When did you last admire yourself and thought, “Wow, I look amazing”?

Expressing ourselves is our inherent right, yet somewhere along the way—especially as women, and particularly for mothers—we learn to silence our voices, leaning instead on our internal monologues. At an early age, particularly in the South, we’re often taught to prioritize others’ needs over our own. but when you purposefully prioritize yourself, aligning with who you are is easier. You can see all the gifts you have to give.

It’s all too easy to prioritize other people's needs—whether your partner, your children, or your friends—over your own. Whoever you prioritize only gets bits and pieces of you, but emptying your own cup to fill somebody else’s leaves everyone's glasses half full.

Becoming your best friend is actively treating yourself with the same compassion, kindness, and support you’d give someone else. Listen to your needs, celebrate your achievements, and be gentle with yourself during challenging times. In doing so, you become "your" person. If we spoke to our friends the way we often speak to ourselves, we wouldn’t have many friends left. Over time, we've learned that being supportive, caring, and encouraging is essential for building and maintaining meaningful relationships.

By speaking positively about yourself, you create new pathways in your brain. The more you repeat the same positive affirmations, the stronger those pathways become. When you treat yourself with kindness and respect, it boosts your self-esteem. As you work towards a more positive self-image, you become your biggest fan and cheerleader. Who you are is so much more than you can imagine.

We are all on a continuous journey of self-awareness, and it’s important not to be too hard on ourselves along the way. Embracing self-encouragement is vital. Whenever those negative thoughts start creeping in, and you find yourself putting yourself down, stop it. No one, not even you, can speak poorly about my friend.

Sometimes, giving ourselves a pat on the back or a round of applause when it’s deserved is crucial. We are often our harshest critics, but we also recognize when we achieve something worthy of a standing ovation. So, celebrate yourself with the same enthusiasm that you celebrate someone else. Keep clapping for yourself as hard as you clap for others. The world is your stage; I truly believe you are a star. Take your bow because we’re definitely going to need an encore. Bravo!