Learning to love yourself can be difficult and it takes courage to do so. However, it is the most powerful and important thing you can do in your life. That a few years ago, loving myself was so difficult when I was so insecure about myself, and my life tends to revolve around pleasing other people.
All I ever wanted is to fit in and I don’t want to be alone. It took me years and a lot of courage to love myself and that’s when everything changed. Here are the 30 ways on how to practice self-love that helped me and I hope it can help you too on your journey to loving yourself.
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1. Positive Affirmations
Whenever you experience self-doubt, try doing positive affirmations to help you combat negative self-talk and be able to rebuild your self-confidence. Repeat it every day until it finally instills in your mind and heart.
Here are some that you can use:
– I love myself
– I am beautiful
– I am unique
– I am worthy of love
– I can do this
– I am strong
– I am confident
2. Surround Yourself With Positive People
“Surround yourself with good people; surround yourself with positivity and people who are going to challenge you to make you better.”
– ALI KRIEGER
Surrounding yourself with positive influences can inspire you to be better. Find people who have your best interest at heart, who will be your support when you fail, and will be there to cheer you on when you succeed.
They will inspire and motivate you to make a good decision in your life. We also tend to be influenced by the people around us, by constantly being with positive people, no doubt that you too will feel think positively.
3. Leave All Toxic Relationships
“Be with someone who protects your heart, not someone who tries to destroy it.”
– bryan burden
I know that it’s hard to leave a certain person in your life especially when they are a huge part of it, or when you feel like you only have them because being alone is scary. However, holding on to it will only prevent personal growth.
Don’t force yourself in staying especially when they make you feel worthless and lonely. Leaving them will show your personal strength that you have the courage to leave and stand on your own. You are worth so much more than you think, you deserve to find people who will treasure and love you.
4. Stop Comparing Yourself To Other People
It’s easy to find someone to compare ourselves to, especially when you see that they are better than you in certain aspects. However, it will only make you feel bad about yourself and it will only steal joy from your life.
In the end, you have nothing to gain and instead, you’ll lose your pride, passion, and dignity. It will only distract you from fulfilment and will make you waste your time on other people’s lives rather than focusing on your own. Always remember that you are unique and have a purpose in this world.
5. Take Care Of Your Body
Beautiful girl, take care of yourself. No one else knows what your soul needs.
– ashtong
When we have poor self-esteem, we tend to not value ourselves. Nevertheless, it’s important to make self–care a priority because taking care of your body can have a drastic impact on how you see yourself. It will make you feel good about yourself and will help you In increasing your self-confidence.
Also, taking care of your health will help in being able to handle the stress of life. With a strong body and a healthy mindset, you can address life problems properly, rather than addressing it with panic or worry.
Related: 27 Beauty Secret Tips and Tricks You Need To Know
6. Be Proud Of Yourself Even If It Is A Small Achievement
Take pride in yourself. Be your own person.
– jack lambert
It’s easy to beat ourselves up when we don’t accomplish our goals. We spend a lot of time thinking about the mistakes that we made. However, you must believe in your own greatness. Mistakes are normal and it will only make you learn a new lesson in life.
Feeling proud of yourself will motivate you to move forward towards your goals. While not appreciating the efforts that you’ve done will only deprive you of feeling happy and empowered. That is why whenever you feel down believe in yourself and be proud. You still have a lot of accomplishments to look forward to.
7. Treat Others The Way You Want To Be Treated
You must recognize your own value, don’t allow other people to disrespect you. However, ask yourself are you treating them with respect? If not then change has to start with you. On the other hand, if the person just keeps walking over you and you’re emotionally tired because of it then it’s time to start asserting yourself.
Trust me, I’ve been there and I know how scary it is, but you have to teach people how to treat you. Don’t just stay silent because they would think that you’re okay with it. If nothing works out, leave because you deserve to be treated with respect.
8. Learn To Say No
“It’s only by saying “No” that you can concentrate on the things that are really important.”
– steve jobs
Saying “no” is difficult when your main goal is to please everyone. I know how hard it is when your biggest fear is rejection and you just want to fit in or to belong. You don’t want to disappoint them, hurt their feelings, and make them see you as a rude person. The worst thing is you’re afraid of being alone and rejected just because you didn’t please them enough.
Even so, before saying yes to anything ask yourself “Is it really worth it?” because you shouldn’t be afraid of saying no and disappointing them at the cost of your own happiness. You will never feel free and truly happy if you live your life depending on other people’s approval. You are valuable and your opinion about yourself is far more important than other people’s opinions of you.
9. Start Your Day With Gratitude
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
– robert brault
Start your day by being thankful and it will be a huge help for your self-love. You can have a gratitude journal and every night you can list the things that you are grateful for the day. You can list everything that you are thankful for even if it’s a small thing.
10. Share Your Blessings
There is something magical in helping people. Seeing their smiles will also make you smile and it increases your self-worth. It makes you see that you are a good person, that you are a part of someone else’s happiness. Sharing your blessings to other people is the perfect opportunity to show your gratefulness, and through it you made someone feel loved and cared for.
11. Don’t Always Seek Approval
“Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner”
– laozi
Everyone will view you differently and you can’t possibly please them all. Seeking approval will only promote fear because you begin to form expectations on how will they react or what they will say if they don’t agree with you.
Follow your heart and don’t worry about how others will react. Do what you want and give it a try, Don’t let anyone kill your dreams for other people’s opinion. If you do, you might forever wonder what could have happened if you followed your dream. You’ll never know unless you try, that’s why have faith and have confidence in yourself.
12. Forgive Yourself
“Choose, everyday to forgive yourself. You are human, flawed, and most of all worthy of love.”
– alison malee
If we want to make things right, we have to let go and forgive ourselves for our mistakes. Forgiving yourself can give you peace that can release you from your resentments. And the truth is, you can’t move forward in your life carrying the weight of your mistakes.
No one is perfect and we all make mistakes. However, mistakes do not define you. It just takes courage to see that they are opportunities to learn more about yourselves.
13. Read Books
I highly suggest reading inspirational books because I found that by reading books especially personal development books. It can uplift your day as it guides you to enhance your life
Must-read books:
– Good Vibes, Good Life: How Self-Love Is the Key to Unlocking Your Greatness
– Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts
14. Don’t Always Say Sorry
“Truly saying sorry is never easy to do, and when you are, you just hope it’s not too late.”
– justin tranter
The only time that you should say sorry is when you really meant it. The word sorry is not for casual conversation because saying it too much loses its meaning when it might really matter. Most importantly, it can cause you unnecessary guilt that can put you down.
15. Socialize
“Life is beautiful not because things we see or do. Life is beautiful because of the people we meet.”
– simon sinek
Put yourself out there and socialize. Meet new people and just enjoy the moment. I know how hard this is for introverts since I’m an introvert myself. There are even times where I would just act like I’m busy to avoid talking to people since I’m super shy.
But, just once in a while, try to free yourself from your comfort zone. I tried it and unexpectedly I was able to enjoy. I even met new friends and we are still going strong.
16. Express Yourself
Don’t be afraid of what others might think of you, just be yourself and express yourself freely.
Start by having a voice and speak up about how you feel in any situation. Other people wouldn’t know and might take you for granted unless you speak up.
However, when speaking up there will always be the fear of hurting someone else’s feelings. This is why when trying to get your point across respect other people’s feelings as well.
17. Never Give Up
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”
– theodore roosevelt
Mistakes are a valuable lesson in life and every winner loses. Don’t always look at it as a negative or else it will put you down. Instead, think of it as a way to start again but with a new valuable lesson that you’ve discovered.
On your journey, there would always be happiness and pain. There will be a lot of times that you want to give up badly. However, think about it you have reached so far out why stop now? Keep pushing and never give up because a quitter will never win.
18. Follow Your Passion
“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.”
– ferdinand foch
Life is too short to not follow your passion. Don’t just settle for something you are unhappy about. Following your passion gives you a sense of purpose and it can make you happier. It helps you to move forward to achieve something far greater than you could ever imagine.
19. Ask Help
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Talk to your family or friends when you have problems, and If you feel like you’re at the breaking point don’t hesitate to seek professional help.
20. Give Yourself A Day Off
“Rest and be thankful.”
– william wadsworth
Don’t overwork yourself because it would only lead to stress and burnout. Don’t hesitate to take a break because you need it in order to reduce stress. Try to spend time or reconnect with your friends and family, it will help you return back to work while being more energized and focused.
21. Treat Yourself
“You have to treat yourself. Life is too short to deprive yourself of things.”
– nathalie emmanuel
When you achieve something even if it’s something small, treat yourself. What I do is when I accomplished something I would buy my favorite drink and just enjoy the moment. It’s because doing something nice for yourself can motivate you to keep up the hard work.
It’s hard to prioritize ourselves because of our busy lives, but doing so can help in reducing your stress and it will boost your mood. So, keep up the hard work, and don’t forget to take a break from time to time.
Related: 200 Amazing Ways To Treat Yourself
22. Disconnect
Putting away your gadget can be a challenge. However, give yourself a break, by shutting down your device for a few hours and do something different. Doing so will give you a peace of mind.
23. Be kind To Yourself
“Be kind to yourself so you can be happy enough to be kind to the world.”
– misha collins
Be kind to yourself and don’t think that you don’t deserve it. Through it, you will be able to understand that weakness is a part of life. I know that many of us get stuck because of fear holding us back from realizing our true potential. However, accepting that you are not perfect will make it easier to accept who you are because accepting who you are is a part of loving yourself.
24. Smile
“Keep smiling, because life is a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.”
– marilyn monroe
A smile can be contagious; it has the power to elevate your mood and it can also change the moods of the people around you. Also, smiling can trick the brain into believing that an unpleasant situation is actually good. It’s because of the brain endorphins which lowers stress.
25. Learn to prioritize yourself
Prioritizing yourself isn’t selfish. It’s time for you to love and to take care of yourself first. You need to be your own best advocate and to stand up for yourself.
Chase the things you deserve and will bring you joy, and let go of the things that makes you feel unhappy.
26. Listen To Your Favorite Music
“Music is the medicine of the mind.”
– john logan
Music is an important part of people’s life. What’s great about music is when you listen to your favorite songs it can make you feel good and happy.
27. Enjoy A Hobby
“A hobby a day keeps the doldrums away.”
phyllis mcginley
Try something new and perhaps you’ll like it and turn it into a hobby. Having a hobby whether it’s taking pictures, drawing, bike riding can help you relieve stress. Don’t hesitate to try out new things as it can bring you joy and maybe you’ll meet a new friend that has the same hobby as yours.
28. Sleep
Sleep is often neglected because of our busy lives. However, it is very important because it allows you to be able to recharge your body and mind.
29. Don’t Close Your Heart
“So, I close my eyes to old ends and open my heart to new beginnings.”
– nick frederickson
I know how hard it is to open your heart to someone when you experienced pain from the people you trust. However, when you choose to close your heart you’re also pushing people away who genuinely wants to have a good relationship with you.
Closing my heart back then was a wrong decision and I’ve already learned from it. I didn’t give people the chance to let them know the real me. I always felt like I don’t belong but in the end, it was me all along. I was the one who decided to distance myself from other people and only pushed them away.
Remember that you’re allowed to be cautious with your heart but learn to recognize when to put your guard down.
30. Wear Something Nice
“Be your own kind of beautiful”
When you wear something nice it can make you feel confident because you look presentable. Wear something that can make you feel good about yourselves and it doesn’t have to be expensive.
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