What does “honouring myself” actually mean? It means respecting myself. It means saying yes to that which I need to feel whole, content, happy, purposeful, loved, healthy, heard etc. However, saying yes to that which is beneficial to me on all levels, implies that I say no to that which does not in some way add to my quality of experience. It means saying no to abusive or stagnant relationships, no to draining people, no to people who are expecting more from me than I can comfortably give, no to unhealthy eating, no to harmful substances. It means saying no to fear, no to negative psychological patterns, no to living in the past. It means saying yes to love, yes to healing, yes to change and yes to living in the here and now.

Self-honouring also means saying ouch!, in other words acknowledging and expressing my pain. Just using the word ouch! on its own, without any further explanation or expansion, is very powerful. Whenever you feel hurt by someone’s actions or words, look them in the eye, and say ouch!

Decide to make this a year in which to honour yourself, by saying yes, no, and ouch!