When you make a decison to love yourself, you are really saying that you want to come alive. You accept that you are responsible for the outcomes that you experience in your life and would like yourself to shine from living a fulfilling life.
So if you've decided on loving yourself but are stumped on how to love yourself, here are 17 ways that can be helpful:
1. Fall in love with yourself. Think about what makes you You. Just like a flower that needs watering to grow, learn to nuture yourself in every way. Love yourself for all the good that you see and accept your flaws and the fact that you are imperfect. This does not meant that you do not learn to change from your shortcomings; instead, you are being gentle and kind to yourself for all your flaws. Look in the mirror and fall in love with the reflection that is You.
"To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance"
Oscar Wilde quotes (Irish Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900)
2. Eliminate Self Criticism. Do you often berate yourself over the tiniest thing? Is there a little voice inside your head that often tells you that you are no good because you are stupid or make mistakes. If you find that you criticise yourself often, make an effort to stop the self criticism.
"I CAN is 100 times more important than IQ" — unknown
3. Be Kind And Positive. When you start to think kindly and positively about yourself, the love you have for yourself just grows. Make it a habit to praise yourself everyday, while in the front of the mirror. Because of such thoughts, you naturally undertake empowering actions that support your development.
4. Acknowledge Your Effort. It's not always about winning or having success in everything that you do. Many times, it is the effort that counts! Acknowledge that you've done your best, even if you have failed to produce tangible results.
5. Let Go Of Worry. Loving yourself requires you to let go of your worry. It is a horrible way to live a life filled with constant worrying. I can attest to that! Worry does not help in any way. It cannot, on its own, make things happen. Only wise actions can! So instead of worrying, spend time thinking about what you can do to help in the situation. If the situation is beyond your control, then ask the Universe for your desired outcome and let things work out on their own. Things will come to be, if they are meant to be.
"There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will." — Epictetus quotes (Greek philosopher associated with the Stoics, AD 55-c.
135)
6. Trust Yourself. Have confidence in your abilities. Know that you have the ability to make important changes for yourself, for as long as you put your heart to it. You can also support yourself by visualizing desired outcomes.
"Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.
"
Benjamin Spock quotes (American Pediatrician and Author, 1903-1998)
7. Forgive Yourself. If you have made mistakes in the past that had caused you to feel less worthy, then you need to forgive yourself. All of us make mistakes; so there really is no need to beat yourself up over them. Or if you've been carrying around a baggage of emotional hurt because of a childhood trauma, learn to forgive yourself that it is not your fault.
"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.
"
Lewis B.
Smedes quotes
8. Be Truthful To Yourself. Loving yourself requires you to be truthful about your own feelings. If you are happy, acknowledge the joy. If you are sad, acknowledge the sorrow. When you are truthful about your feelings, you do not try to lie to yourself or seek to bury your negative emotions. Instead, acknowledging what you feel provides a good guide to what your thoughts are. And as we all know, thoughts can be changed, so that healing and self growth can take place.
9. Grow Spiritually. When you spend time growing spiritually, loving yourself is an automatic thing. You become more peaceful, connected, kind, loving and compassionate. You nurture a mind that grows more beautiful by the day.
How to not love yourself in the process?
10. Make Positive Affirmations Everyday. Post affirmations that can help raise your self esteem everyday. For instance, say this to yourself "I love and accept myself completely and unconditionally." Read your affirmations out loud several times a day.
11. Express Gratitude. Express gratitude for the person that you are. For instance, cultivate an appreciation for your strengths and gifts. Also, feel a sense of gratitude that you are alive and well, and fully capable of making a difference in your life.
12. Nurture Your Dreams. Why deny yourself your dreams? When you nurture your dreams, you would love the life that you are leading. Every moment that you live is a joy because you are expressing yourself fully.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
—Mark Twain
13. Boost Your Self Confidence. Make a deliberate attempt to look for opportunities that can help improve your sense of Self. For instance, if you are particularly good at doing something, set aside more time to indulge and improve your skills on it. Knowing that you have particular gifts can boost your self esteem.
14. Relax. You need to give yourself space to take breaks every now and then. If you spend your time working, without paying attention to your health, it also means that you do not love yourself well enough to take care of your own body. Fill your time with silence, soothing music and visions of beauty; anything that nourishes your Soul.
15. Have Fun. Inject some fun into your life. Life is meant to be an enjoyable. Don't take life or yourself too seriously. If you can think of life in this manner, you automatically relax and quit worrying over things that do not matter.
16. Look After Your Body. It is important that you strengthen yourself with proper nutrition and regular exercise. Your body is a temple and you should treat it with respect, love and care. It has been found that the lack of self love is often the root causes of conditions like eating disorders, obesity or even terminal diseases.
"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live.
"
Jim Rohn quotes (American Speaker and Author. He is famous for motivational audio programs for Business and Life.
)
17. Learn To See Beauty. When you learn to see beauty in every thing, you will also see beauty in yourself. Hence, stop to smell the flowers. Notice everything. Feel everything. The pink blush of the flowers in your garden, the greeness of the plains, the whisper of the gentle wind, or the myraid hues of an evening sky.
Here is a good affirmation to read and reflect on…..
"I am Me. In all the world, there is no one else exactly like me. Everything that comes out of me is authentically mine, because I alone chose it — I own everything about me: my body, my feelings, my mouth, my voice, all my actions, whether they be to others or myself. I own my fantasies, my dreams, my hopes, my fears. I own my triumphs and successes, all my failures and mistakes.
Because I own all of me, I can become intimately acquainted with me. By so doing, I can love me and be friendly with all my parts. I know there are aspects about myself that puzzle me, and other aspects that I do not know — but as long as I am friendly and loving to myself, I can courageously and hopefully look for solutions to the puzzles and ways to find out more about me.
However I look and sound, whatever I say and do, and whatever I think and feel at a given moment in time is authentically me. If later some parts of how I looked, sounded, thought, and felt turn out to be unfitting, I can discard that which is unfitting, keep the rest, and invent something new for that which I discarded. I can see, hear, feel, think, say, and do. I have the tools to survive, to be close to others, to be productive, and to make sense and order out of the world of people and things outside of me.
I own me, and therefore, I can engineer me. I am me, and I am Okay.
"
Denis2005 Virginia Satir quotes (American Phychologist and Educator, 1916-1988)
Lastly, Know that You Are Blessed Always!
__________________
I am one of a kind, to know me is to LOVE me.
nice thoughts but not all are too practicle or foster self improvement because they lack the input of others... like 2.) how are you going to grow if your the only opinion that matters? getting along with others isn't on the list, but if you live with someone ( married or whatever) you have to consider that too...
as you may think your all that but have some annoying habits, like my husband with his allergies that drive me nuts and he wont see a doctor... he sneezes all over everything like a dog would and its disgusting, he doesn';t seem to care BUT I DO...
and when he blows his nose ( 50 times a day) sounds like an elephant is in the room.. !!
but nice thoughts regardless. How can you not worry some? everyone worries, you have to think things through and make alternive plans... and I feel some degree of worry is just a part of life.
I never did get that affirmation stuff.. does it really work?
or does it make you a snobby person who can't see themselves based in reality?
?
about 12.
not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to dream...
big dreaming is for young people or those who are very irresonsible... as certain things take priority like if you have small kids...
someone who was a big dreamer and dreaming, could turn into a bad parent by not setting the right priorities and forfilling their responsiblities.
My step daughter is a big dreamer but she is not willing to do anything but ask other people to help her.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
—Mark Twain
I don't know your age, but I hope you do not let go of these truisms as you grow older. I'm 50 and have lived by many of these principles my entire life and have no regrets. No shoulda, woulda, coulda here. Why? Because I am a believer.
One of the responses here was filled with cynicism, a condition that too many middle aged people suffer from.
Here's a thought for you....
Worry not about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself. Do the things today that you are supposed to do.
You might ask, what will you do 5 years from now if you don't worry and plan for it today? My answer: I don't know precisely what I will be doing 5 years from now, nor do you. But I do know one thing. 5 years from now I will be doing what I am supposed to be doing.
Great list...thanks for posting it. I have found these two the most difficult for me:
Eliminate Self Criticism.
Forgive Yourself
But even those have gotten easier as the years go by. But at 46, 'relax' and 'have fun' come very easy to me now that life has slowed down some, kids are getting older. I have to say, the sooner you grasp onto these in life, the better...especially during the crazy, busy years.
17 ways to love your self
That's right up there with "Deep Thoughts" by Jack Handy.
