Loving Yourself
Appreciate you. Before loving anyone else, you have to love
yourself. Learning to love yourself means accepting and appreciating the
vulnerability within. You
have many qualities that are unique to you. Learn to appreciate who you are and
what you can offer.
If you have problems loving yourself, then work hard to build yourself
up. Work on your self-confidence by accepting your past and moving forward. You
may feel that things you did in the past will make you unlovable, or that you
have too many problems to be lovable. Untrue. Accept the things that happened
to you, forgive yourself, and move on.
For more information, check out How to LoveYourself.
Care about yourself just as much as you care about others. This can be
difficult if you find yourself as a natural caretaker or if you have children.
Remember, your ability to take care of others increases if you are adequately
taking care of yourself.
Don’t let yourself become the last priority; instead, do things to show
yourself you care. Treat yourself to a massage or a bath. Do one thing every
day that is just for you.
This extends to maintaining boundaries and saying "no." If
what you need is some relaxation, say no to getting together with friends.
Give gratitude. Grateful people have health benefits and report higher
levels of happines Find
ways to be grateful for things that surround you, and most importantly, for who
you are.
Think about the characteristics you have that you love about yourself.
Maybe you are very compassionate, generous, or a good listener. Maybe you pick
up new skills easily. Perhaps you create beautiful paintings or wire
electricity like a pro. Take a moment and be grateful.
Have a good attitude. Even if situations seem negative, find something
positive, big or small. Having a positive outlook is linked with health and
emotional benefits, such as lower rates of distress and having a longer
lifespan.When you
start to have negative thoughts, especially about yourself, turn them into
positive thoughts.
Use positive self-talk to transform negative thoughts into positive
thoughts.
Combat thoughts about new situations. Instead of "I’ll mess this
up; I’m so foolish!" try "I feel proud of myself for trying something
new and putting myself out there."
If you think "I am so bad at meeting people" replace it with
"I’m excited to learn new social skills and meet people more like me. I
know I can succeed in making friends."
Engage in things that make you happy. Being happy is part of
showing love to yourself. Create a state of happiness by doing things that make
you feel good. Do things that make your body, mind, emotions, and spirit feel
good. Happiness largely depends on putting in the effort to make your life more
positive.
You can choose to meditate, practice yoga, paint or draw, kayak, hiking,
practice Muay Thai or engage in lively discussions.
Think about what brings a smile to your face, and go do it!
Take some alone time. An important part of self-care is to spend some time
alone. It can be difficult if you share a room or have children but save some
time for yourself. Solitude can help you unwind, work through problems, reboot
your mind, and discover yourself. Don’t feel guilty for wanting alone time. By
spending time alone, you can improve your relationships by prioritizing your
happiness and allowing yourself to reset.
It’s important to note that alone time doesn’t mean going on social
media. Try to do things that enrich your life and make you feel good like
taking a walk or journaling.
If you struggle to find alone time, wake up before other people, or
spend your lunch breaks alone. Ask your partner to watch the kids for one hour
each week so you can get out of the house and spend some time alone.
Accept that you don’t need a partner to feel complete. Some people believe
that happiness and love can only be experienced through a relationship, or that
a bad relationship is still better than no relationship at all. Staying in a
relationship that does not work does not respect you or your partner. Solitude
is different than being lonely, and it is not worth succumbing to social
pressure to fit in or feel complete.
If you are unhappy or impatient being single, make the best of the
situation. Pursue opportunities that are difficult to accomplish with a partner
or a family. Travel, acquire lots of close friends and enjoy your perpetual
freedom.
