When it comes to truly loving who you are, sometimes this can be a difficult task. In a world with such high standards when it comes to things like beauty or success, it’s easy to get wrapped up in this and hold unrealistic expectations for ourselves. Feeling inadequate never has a positive impact, and it can actually take a negative toll on not just ourselves, but also our relationships. It may sound cheesy, but loving yourself is something everyone should experience, and there are ways to promote this idea of self-love. Check out these healthy habits that can help to increase your self-esteem and allow you to truly love the person you are.
Do your best not to compare yourself to others. Each individual has his or her own strengths and weaknesses, so comparing yourself to your neighbor is a futile task. Oftentimes people’s strengths are more apparent than their weaknesses, so it may seem like others around us are just better people in general because we are only focusing on their positive qualities. So do your best to stop making comparisons.
Surround yourself with positive people. The people we spend time with have a huge impact on how we view ourselves. If you surround yourself with negative people, you’ll most likely start developing a negative outlook on yourself and the world in general. So choose to spend your time with people that make you feel good about yourself.
Make time for things that you love. It’s safe to say that not everyone wakes up in the morning excited to head into their 9 to 5 job. It’s fine to not absolutely love what your do for work, but this means it’s especially important to make time for things that you actually do love.
Practice self-care regularly. Everyone’s idea of self-care is different. Maybe it is taking a bubble bath every night, or drinking a glass of wine. It could be meditating or going to a yoga class once a week. Whatever it may be, spend some time taking care of yourself. Self-care also means eating well, getting enough sleep, and having healthy relationships.
Forgive yourself for your past. We need to remember that nobody is perfect, and we all make mistakes. Hopefully you do not keeping making the same mistakes over and over again, but even if you do it is important to forgive yourself and move on. When we lack forgiveness, we keep holding on to the past and cannot move forward with our lives.
Set attainable goals and focus on a long-term plan. Everyone should have goals in life to help them move forward and focus on what they hope to accomplish. These could be simple goals for the week, or long term goals for the future. But remember, if a goal is not met, don’t judge yourself too harshly. Just do what you can to keep looking forward and focus on how to get it done. Keep a journal with a list of your daily, weekly, or even yearly goals to help remind you what to focus on.