How to Love Yourself

You are the most important thing in your life

The relationships with have with other people play a bit part in our lives, but none of them are as important as the relationship we have with ourselves. Often, we get so wrapped up in making others happy that we neglect our own needs, and we love other people so much, that we leave no love for ourselves. It is often said that you can’t expect somebody else to love you, if you don’t first love yourself. We’re taught to be modest and that thinking of yourself before others is selfish, but the truth is that you are the most important person in your life, and you need to be able to love and take care of yourself first, before you can love anybody else. Coming to terms with loving yourself can be hard when you have a long history of not doing so, so here are some ways to focus on you!

Take care of yourself

The first step in the process of loving yourself is nurturing yourself, and practicing self care. Often, we get so wrapped up in life that we neglect ourselves and our bodies because we’re too busy focusing on other people and things. Putting your personal needs first; make sure you are feeding yourself healthy food, getting enough sleep, doing exercise etc. will ensure that you are healthy and ready to take on the everyday tasks you have to carry out, and will most likely lead to you being more productive, which will lead to you being more satisfied at the end of the day.

Spend time alone

Many people don’t like feeling lonely, and prefer to be surrounded by other people as much as possible. However, spending time alone is good for you; being able to be happy with your own company helps you be more independent and self-sufficient, and means that your happiness is your own doing, and does not lie in the hands of other people. Spend some time each day doing something you love, whether it’s reading, exercising, yoga or meditation, or even just treating yourself to a relaxing bubble bath; just let yourself have a break from other people, and give yourself time to think.

Treat yourself with love

It’s human nature to be pretty hard on ourselves, and beat ourselves up when things go wrong. The trick is to treat yourself how you would treat your best friend. Show yourself the kindness, love, acceptance, respect, and understanding you would show the other people in your life. Instead of focusing on your flaws, focus on the things you love about yourself. Stand and look in the mirror, and compliment yourself; it is guaranteed that you will feel better about yourself. The people in your life love you for a variety of different reasons, and you should too.

Rid yourself of toxic people

The people we spend our days with affect our lives more than we may realise. If you spend time with negative people who constantly put you down, this has a big effect on your happiness levels. Surround yourself with people who are good for you, and make you feel positive and happy, and, as hard as it can be sometimes, get rid of the people in your life who only bring you down.

Express yourself

You have a voice, and it deserves to be heard. Don’t bottle things up, or keep quiet because you think people don’t want to hear what you have to say; the people who hold you dear what to hear what you are thinking and feeling. Express yourself in anyway you can, whether that’s through talking, writing, art, music or something else; this helps you get your feelings out in a positive way, and will help you and those around you understand yourself a lot more.

Be you

It can take a long time for us to figure out ‘who we are’, but once you have, it’s important that you embrace yourself. A lot of people hide certain parts of themselves for fear of what others may think, but by doing that you are cheating yourself. Be proud of yourself and love who you are, and those around you will too. As Dr. Seuss said ‘be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind!’