We could all do with a little more self-love. Self-love converts to self-esteem, self-worth and, what’s more, it’s not until you love yourself that you can fully love others.
Here are ten ways to go about embracing you.
1. Stop Being Judgmental
When you judge others to feel “good” about yourself, it tends to have the opposite effect. Moreover, judging yourself harshly for minor things – like eating too much, perhaps, or being wrong about something – is counterproductive. It doesn’t make you a better person.
2. Stop Comparing Yourself
“I wish my body was as beautiful as hers.”
“I wish I had his car, his wife, his career, his life.”
Most of us go through life comparing ourselves to others, in one way or another. In doing so, we put a weight of pressure on ourselves to be someone else, when we should be investing in who we are instead.
When you stop looking around at everyone else and look inside yourself, you’ll feel much happier that you made the investment.
3. Give Yourself Energy
We know what feeds positive energy into our veins and what drains us of it.
If there’s an activity (or a person) that provides you bountiful energy, fit it into your schedule as often as you can. If there’s an activity (or a person) that seeps all your energy, cut it out as often as you can.
Simple as that.
4. Take Care of Yourself
Self-care is part of investing in yourself. While taking care of others is important, giving yourself the time of day is equally so. Make sure you make yourself a top priority.
5. Be Present
It’s easy to drift off into the future or the past, be preoccupied or distracted, or get swept up in office politics – or national politics, for that matter.
When you find yourself feeling like a robot, make a concerted effort to pull yourself back into the present. Be here for a moment. Now.
When you’re present, you’ll feel things more vividly. And there’s never a more beautiful feeling than being alive and loving it.
6. Be Compassionate
You don’t have to be the steely ice queen or angry-browed monster man all of the time. When you’re compassionate to others, you’ll find compassion for yourself, as well. Empathy is key to self-love. When you are easier on others and try to understand what they’re going through on their road in life, you’re more likely to give yourself a break when you hit a few bumps in your own.
7. Believe in Yourself
Those who love themselves believe they can do what they set their minds to. Omit the phrase, “I can’t,” from your vocabulary.
You can, you will, and you must.
Believe in yourself, and you’ll be awash in self-love.
8. Don’t Give Up
When you get knocked down, don’t beat yourself up over it. That will only make you stay down. Instead, take Sia’s advice: “Don’t give up, don’t give up, don’t give up – no, no, no.”
Let yourself fail once in a while, but never ever ever give up.
9. Positive Self-Talk
We say the meanest things to ourselves, and what good does that do us? It does nothing positive and only keeps us down.
Don’t feed the mean elves in your head, but keep the positive ones well-fed and -watered.
“I am strong. I am brave. I am talented. I am valuable. I am worth it.”
Try saying this mantra to yourself. I guarantee you’ll feel a flood of self-love overcome the self-loathing.
10. Treat Yo’self!
Tom and Donna from Parks & Rec know how to self-love. Don’t forget to take a “me-day” once in a while and pamper yourself. Doing all the things you love will remind you that you’re worth it.
It’s not always easy to love…especially not yourself. When you find that you’re being hard on you, give these ten psychologically proven ways to love yourself more a shot.
Find someone who will support you and help you to love yourself more on LoveAgain.