How to Love Yourself More

Rebecca Lewis March 24, 2015

Most of us spend a lot of time trying to improve many areas of their life –relationship, career, etc. And often, we get too occupied doing our best on these things that we almost forget to look after something very significant – our well-being. Taking care of ourselves is equally important as striving hard to achieve our goals in life.

So starting today, ought to give yourself a little more love and appreciation. Give yourself more time, space and peace. Do a little bit less, and gain much more. Below are simple yet powerful ways to love yourself more.

Say kind words to yourself. Often, we speak to ourselves using harsh words you never would say to other people. Yes, we tend to be our own worst critics sometimes. Your inner voice can be so demanding and harsh at times. But do not let it take control of your thoughts and reactions. Be kind and gentle with yourself, especially in tough moments. It won’t help you get through a difficult situation when you treat yourself harshly. If there’s someone who should have great belief in yourself, it’s no one else but you.

Give yourself time and space to acknowledge your emotions. A lot of times we wake up feeling anxious, sad or terrified. And thinking that these emotions can impact our performance and productivity for the rest of the day, we try hard to fight these feelings – knock them off, conceal them, or just resist them by shifting our attention to other things and carrying on with our life. Unfortunately, ignoring these unwanted emotions is not the right approach, and could in fact, backfire. So instead of suppressing them, surrender to these feelings. Give yourself some time and space to reflect on the reasons why you are feeling this way. Observe where your body feels the hurt, and acknowledge it with acceptance, understanding and love. You will be surprised of how these unwanted emotions will soon fade.

Stay connected to your inner self. Every day, we strive to connect with other people and to the whole world, as we want everything to fall into place smoothly and perfectly. But as we connect with others, we should also take time to connect to our inner self. When was the last time you asked yourself how you were feeling? When was the last time you gave yourself a day of pure fun and rest, not thinking about your work? When was the last time you check in with yourself? Deep within every one of us is a child who needs love, care and attention.

Develop a better appreciation of yourself. Instead of focusing on things that you don’t like, focus more on the things that you love about yourself. You are who you repeatedly think you are. So the more positively you look at yourself, the more positive habits you develop and the more positive attributes you uncover. Look pass through the fats, the sagging skin, the unruly hair, and all those imperfections. You are more beautiful than you think.

Don’t forget that you are unique. Stop comparing yourself to other people. Every person is unique in many different ways. So there is no point in making negative comparisons. You need not fit in the status quo, or meet every expectation others have on you. Being proud of who you are is one of the most empowering things you can do. Not only does it improve your self-esteem, but it also enriches your relationship with yourself.

The more you love yourself, the better person you become, and the greater chances you have at achieving your goals. So always prioritise looking after yourself. When you are feeling your best, you are able to uncover many beautiful things in life.