What I Know And Practice Now

In The End- The Six Practices That Changed My Relationship with Myself And A Summary Of The 6 Part Letter Series

From Self-Neglect to Self-Compassion—My Journey Back Home

Hello and welcome to the Self-Worth Journal, I am Sheila Daisy a daughter of two cultures and Self-worth and Self Acceptance advocate. I write about my personal experiences with both of these concepts and how I have been able to build and nurture my self-worth. It is my hope that you will not only enjoy but find real value in my writing. Enjoy!

Happy mid-week dear friend,

In the last 6 weeks I have been sharing tools and rituals I implemented in my healing journey from self-neglect to unconditional self-love and self-worth. In today’s article, I bring it all home and show you how these activities have changed my life for the better.

There was a time I couldn’t look in the mirror without shame—not because of what I saw, but because of how I felt inside. I didn’t realize it then, but I had been neglecting myself for years—emotionally, spiritually, mentally.

Maybe you’ve felt that way before too, or maybe you're there now. Maybe you also know how easy it is to forget your own worth when the world demands so much of you and you have no idea about how to put yourself first.

I had a number of different practices that got me through my pain but the most profound of them is my love for writing letters to myself. Letters that gave me the courage, permission, acceptance, peace, joy and love that I was looking to others for.

So, as I once again share some of the powerful practices that helped me start over—not with the world, but with myself, I would like to encourage you to take what resonates should you need it or share it with someone who might benefit from it.

Please bear in mind these aren’t quick-fix hacks, but a journey with a lot of patience, because my story isn’t one of a sudden breakthrough or a 10-day transformation. It’s a quiet, honest journey—one that began the moment I decided to start treating myself like someone I loved.

Now let’s recap the six practices that helped me heal and rebuild my foundation of self-worth from the ground by rewiring my brain, and planting new thoughts and feelings of self-worth.

🌿 Forgiveness: The Starting Point

I started with the hardest thing: forgiving myself. For how I had failed to listen to my needs, for mistakes I couldn’t undo and for the way I abandoned myself trying to meet others’ expectations.

Writing a forgiveness letter opened up a lot of things in me that I need to address. It didn’t erase the past, but it freed me from carrying it.

✨ 🧠 Research shows self-forgiveness interrupts cycles of rumination and anxiety. It doesn’t excuse mistakes—it creates space for healing.

Try this: Write a short letter to yourself. Say the things you wish someone else would’ve said to you.

Key Insight: Forgiveness makes room for growth. It says, “I’m worthy of another chance.”

✨ Letting Go: Releasing What We’ve Outgrown

After forgiveness came release. I let go of relationships that drained me, stories I’d outgrown, objects that no longer held any value for me and pressures that never truly belonged to me.

I created small rituals—burning old journal pages, saying goodbye out loud, even just walking away with intention.

Remember “Hands that release what weighs them down become available to receive what brings them joy.” Letting go for me wasn’t a loss—it was liberation.

Key Insight: Letting go makes space for what’s waiting to find you.

💛 Self-Compassion: Learning to Be on My Own Side

I used to believe that being hard on myself would make me better. But neglect never leads to growth.

Learning to speak to and treat myself like I would a friend changed everything. Not just emotionally—but physiologically. My body started to relax, my energy returned and I could feel more of what my body needed because I was now in a state of listening.

🧠 Self-neglect triggers the body’s stress response. Compassion activates our internal healing systems.

Key Insight: Self-compassion is not indulgence. It’s our doorway to being in tune with ourselves.

🌈 Practicing Joy: Noticing What Lifts You

For years, I told myself I’d enjoy life “once things settled,” but life has taught me joy is not a finish line but rather a nourishment for the now.

As I learned to actively choose and cultivate joy I started noticing small moments of joy—sunlight through the window, a favourite song, a full invigorating breath - I treated them all like sacred gifts and they became so. The gift of breath, the gift of hearing etc.

Key Insight: Joy isn’t the end of healing. It’s what sustains us through it.

Key Insight: Self-love fills us up so we can give without depleting ourselves.

🙏 Gratitude: Finding Grace in the Middle

Gratitude changed my perspective—not just in good times, but especially in hard ones. I started listing three things each day. Some days, it was just: being grateful for my family, and I got out of bed. I drank water. I tried.

And that was enough because whenever I decided to focus on what I already had I could suddenly see the abundance in my life and this would shift my mood.

🧠 Gratitude rewires your brain for resilience. It doesn’t deny pain—it expands your capacity to hold joy alongside it.

Start small. Be real. Be specific.

Key Insight: Gratitude doesn’t wait for perfection. It finds the sacred in the ordinary.

💖 Choosing Self-Love: No More Empty Cups

I used to love others fiercely—what people call - loving too much - but I never saved any of that love for myself. That changed when I realized I was worthy of the same care and attention I so freely gave to others.

Now I practice self-love not as a feeling, but as a choice. Over and over again.

Loving others was always easy for me. Loving myself? That felt like a hard but I learned that self-love isn’t a feeling. It’s a decision. A practice. A return.

Remember “You don’t have to feel worthy to start acting like you are.”

When I made space for myself in the same way I made space for others, life became more honest—and more beautiful.

🌻 Healing is Interconnected

Each of these practices fed the next:

• Forgiveness made space for letting go.

• Compassion made room for love.

• Gratitude uncovered joy.

They somehow connected into something lasting—something strong enough to carry me on the hardest days.

🌟 Your turn - It’s Not Too Late to Start

I still have days where old patterns try to sneak in but now I meet them with awareness, not shame. I return to these practices whenever the need arises because I am still growing and healing. If you're just beginning, know this: the journey might feel messy, but it’s yours and it's sacred and beautiful.

My encouragement is to start where you are. Start small. Just start.

📝 Reflection Prompt: Which of the six practices speaks loudest to you right now? What’s one small way you can begin today?

Love & Light

Sheila Daisy

Thank you for reading, I would love to hear your thoughts, perspectives and experiences so please do share them in the comments. If you also know someone who might resonate, please do share this with them.