3 Ways to Love Yourself More
We often forget to love ourselves, the person who we really are on the inside. Perhaps because of fear, we get used to the idea that the best way to improve ourselves is to be more demanding of ourselves. This is one way of perceiving and constructing our reality, in which society has played a fundamental role. There’s an undertone that somehow invites us to hate ourselves, which is why we want to give you some advice so you can learn to love yourself more.
It’s also common to think that if something is very difficult to do, you’re putting in a lot of effort. But it’s not always that way. Remember that it’s not necessary to suffer or have a bad time to achieve your heart’s desire. When you think that way, even if it’s just a little bit, you’re very far from loving yourself.
Most of us have been trained to punish ourselves more than we reward ourselves. It’s true that we should maintain healthy habits and steady perseverance in our daily lives. But practicing self-love is another task that we should carry out if we want to develop to our full potential.
“Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.”
-Marilyn Monroe-
All the obstacles you’ve overcome are reasons to love yourself
Many experiences that we carry in our memories, even if they seem trivial, are obstacles that we’ve overcome and that have made us who we are: extraordinary and great. Furthermore, we put our effort into situations that we think we won’t have to expend any energy on, when they actually involve constant adaptation and focus on our surroundings.
Practice self-love and feel good about yourself for everything you’ve achieved up until now. This will feed your self-confidence. The situations that seem difficult and problematic are actually experiences that will allow you to grow. Avoid complaining, and accept and love those moments, because they form a part of the path towards your dreams.
To start to love yourself, you have to know why you don’t
Like we said above, we tend to protect ourselves from ourselves, evaluating and focusing our attention on our flaws. We often over-criticize ourselves without even being aware of it. We cause ourselves a lot of harm with our negative self-talk.
To avoid those beliefs that act as obstacles to self-love, you have to identify the points that sustain them. This sometimes involves taking the opposite stance from people you love and who love you, who want the best for you, but who also make mistakes. They can give you advice, but you have the final responsibility over your decisions.
Apologize to and thank yourself
We’re taught to be friendly and compassionate, and to pay attention to the needs of others; this is what it means to be a good person. Give yourself the gift of thanking yourself for everything you’ve overcome and learned without hurting anyone, even yourself.
Be happy about each decision that you make with bravery and consistency, always trusting yourself. Value how lucky you are to be free, and don’t sabotage your freedom by looking to others as a shield or only leaving the house when things are going well.
You’re the only one who knows how to make yourself feel good, so don’t waste your time making yourself feel bad. You have many resources and techniques at your disposal.
Allow yourself moments of reflection that let you achieve a higher, deeper state of awareness. Think about how you talk and interact with yourself. If you don’t do it the way you’d like, apologize to yourself for it.
These types of habits and actions will allow you to clear your mind, make peace with your inner self, and most importantly, love yourself for the extraordinary human that you are.
“If you aren’t good at loving yourself, you will have a difficult time loving anyone, since you’ll resent the time and energy you give another person that you aren’t even giving to yourself.”
-Barbara De Angelisi-