Learning How to Love Yourself

 

Before we can embark on the exciting journey of falling in love we must first be comfortable in our own skin and love ourselves. To carry any previously un-dealt with negativity into a new relationship is unhealthy, but it is often the lack of love from others that can lead to insecurity and self-doubt. However we do not need to rely on relationships for love; now is the time to learn how to self-love, using these tips;

1. Try and look at yourself through someone else’s eyes to see what makes you exceptional. When you evaluate yourself in terms of how far you’ve come in life and your personal achievements, you open up a whole new side of you that, until then, you may have not noticed. This should make you realise how special you are as a person and just what kind of love you deserve. It may also make you want to treat yourself better and do the things you feel you now deserve to do. This could be giving yourself the day off to relax and unwind, or applying for a new and more challenging job.
2. Make a note of every compliment or positive praise you receive. This is nothing to feel embarrassed about; sometimes we need to be reminded of our own accomplishments to change our perception of ourselves. Compliments always make us feel more positive as others views of us are always different to how we view ourselves.
3. Do things for yourself. This can be anything; a nice relaxing bubble bath, a long walk, taking up a new hobby; anything that makes you feel good about yourself. It will remind you of your self-worth and reserving that bit of time each day just for you will be self-rewarding for all the hard work you do throughout the week.
4. Surround yourself with loving people. This may be family members, close friends or partners. If you keep only positive people around you and ignore those who try to bring you down you will become a happier, more confident person
5. Deal with negativity first. Sometimes we can’t just sweep nasty comments, work stress or family problems under the carpet. Dealing with these issues as they arise instead of when it’s too late will make you a stronger person and lead to self-belief. You can cope with anything that’s thrown in your direction; repeat that mantra whenever you feel like giving up.
6. Challenge yourself. Sometimes doing simple things ‘the hard way’ reinforces our self-belief. I find this in everyday tasks; whether it’s cooking a meal from scratch instead of ordering in or trying to fix a broken necklace rather than take it to be mended. Knowing that you can be self-sufficient and take care of yourself is a natural mood boost and can kick-start you on your journey to self-love.
7. “To love oneself is the beginning of a life long romance” – Oscar Wilde. Self-love cannot be achieved in a few days; unfortunately, there is no ‘magic fix’. It is something we have to work at everyday and fit into our lifestyles. It is also something that can not be forced; you have to be ready to learn to love yourself and this means you have to be willing to leave all negative thoughts behind. You do deserve this, and you can achieve it. Love is the most powerful emotion in the world, before you give it to someone else, make sure that they deserve your love and that you love yourself first.

The information in LEIGHBEESBUZZWORDS may be freely re-used in any online or offline publication, provided it is accompanied by the following credit line – “This information was written by Leigh Woolnough. It originally appeared in “LEIGHBEESBUZZWORDS” her blog, available at https://leighbeesbuzzwords.wordpress.com/.” Thank you.