Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, I'm going to explore how we relate to ourselves and how that can affect the quality of our lives. So as we're going about daily life, it's really easy to slip into seeing ourselves and our lives through quite a negative lens, dwelling on what's wrong with us in our lives. And it's actually this negative self-talk that forms the core of very much of our inner struggle and stress. If we continuously focus on what's wrong with us, we can slowly begin to crush our confidence, feel unworthy and negative and be plagued with self-doubt.

So this kind of negative self-talk is not a sign of anything deficient on your part. It's not anything strange about you. It's just a sign of having a normal human mind. So the human mind is wired like a survival machine. And for our ancestors, fitting in with the group was an essential survival need.

So driven by an impulse to make sure we get approval, the inner critic comes in and demands us to do better. It pushes us, it bullies us, it criticizes us, points out all our flaws, tells us we're not good enough. And it does all this actually in an attempt to keep us safe. So the mind has good intentions. So what in the caveman days was actually a really helpful adaption for the mind, these days, it's really mostly unhelpful.

This mental pattern just generates a lot of negativity and unnecessary stress. So if we can learn to unwind the inner critic, cultivate a more appreciative and kind way of relating to ourselves, we can reclaim our confidence, cultivate greater freedom and peace of mind and naturally develop inner strength. So one way we can start to bring this more appreciative attitude towards ourselves and daily life is to turn our attention towards the good stuff about ourselves which we normally overlook. For instance, you could recognize the goodness in your actions and intentions as you go about your day. This might be moments like being patient when someone's holding you up.

You know, really noticing that. Being helpful and friendly towards others. It might be when you restrain the urge to say something hurtful or rude. It might be the sacrifices you make for your family that no one else sees. Or the efforts that you make to protect the planet, like taking your own bags to the store or recycling.

So in those moments, actually pausing to appreciate your goodness. And also on a really fundamental level, you can sense into the goodness at the core of your being. There is a benevolence in awareness itself, and it's there inside everyone, no matter how obscured it may have become. So today, if you care to inviting you to tune into what's right with you and letting the knowing of your own goodness nourish, uplift, and strengthen you. As always, thank you for your practice and your presence here with us.

And let's settle in now for today's meditation.