Believe it or not, you are the most important person in the world. You deserve to be loved, to be valued and to be cared for.
Unfortunately, we are being taught and conditioned to be at war with ourselves and search for external validation, while the greatest appreciation of ourselves has to come from within.
We often don’t even allow ourselves to feel our true feelings in a certain moment. We don’t admit that trying to please other people is making us so tired.
No matter what the world tells you, or what you are hearing from that internal bad voice, you should never forget to make yourself a priority.
We all know that in theory, but in real life, it could be pretty hard to take care of ourselves. However, it’s a matter of adopting some habits, which you can do in a few simple steps.
How to Truly Love Yourself and Regain Your Self-Esteem
There is only one person that can always give you the love you need. That person is you.
Before loving or being loved by someone else, first you need to have a good relationship with yourself. It might sound hard, but it will make you feel amazing after you adopt certain habits of self-love.
Below are 10 of them.
1. Learn to Say “No”
The most important thing to do for your own good is to set healthy boundaries. Sometimes even our closest people would try and cross these unintentionally.
Saying “no” does not mean you don”t love or value that person. It just means that you listen to your own feelings and needs and make them a priority. You deserve respect and you should get it.
2. Forgive Yourself for Past Mistakes
Mistakes are the most human things. Don’t beat yourself over past choices, because there was a reason that you did what you did. For example, you probably didn’t know better at the time.
Dwelling on past mistakes is not going to help you in any way, so focus on the present and don’t let negative thoughts consume you.
3. Remember you are Unique
“Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken”. It is said that Oscar Wilde made his remark, and he, with his extraordinary personality, is truly an example to live by.
Even though the world teaches us to compare to one another, one of the most important steps for self-love and personal development is to stop comparing yourself to others. Cherish your good sides and you will see that being yourself is truly empowering.
4. Opinions Don’t Matter
A majority of the people are affected by the opinions of other people, but we’re here to tell you that opinions don’t matter. Everyone will tell you something different, so if you listen to everybody and try to please them, at the end you will see that you should never take opinions seriously.
5. Take More Time for Hobbies
It’s important to find what makes you happy and take the time to do it more often.
No matter if it’s a type of art or making crafts, singing, hiking or walking in nature, you should allow yourself to feel joy.
In our busy daily lives it might not be easy to find the time, but if you actually focus on that, you will discover that there is always time available.
6. Let go of Toxic People
Toxic people could make you truly doubt yourself and destroy your self-esteem. If you notice that there is such a person in your life, you shouldn’t hesitate to set boundaries.
Sometimes even close family members can bring toxicity into our lives. In that case, it becomes hard to set boundaries, but you should really not feel guilty about distancing yourself and reclaiming your self-love.
7. Remember to Treat Yourself
Every once in a while, give yourself little rewards even without a certain reason. That will remind you that you deserve unconditional love, and you will feel much more comfortable about embracing self-love.
8. Gratitude is Key
Being grateful for all the good things in life does a magic.
There will always be some downsides, but a lot of us tend to focus more on them, and to forget that we also have some true blessings in our lives.
Each day say “thank you” for at least three things in your life, and for at least three of your good sides, and you will feel much happier.
9. You Don’t Have to be Perfect
Go easy on yourself. Life is already hard enough, and you don’t have to strive for perfection, because it doesn’t exist.
10. Take Care of Your Emotions
Take the time each day to feel your emotions truly and process how the things that happened to you made you feel. Journaling is the perfect way to do that – you will notice that after writing your true thoughts for a while, you will feel much better and free from anxiety.
Author: Brittany Robertson
I am a successful female blogger who has built a large following by sharing my personal experiences and insights on a wide range of… Read more