Table of contents:
- Why should we love ourselves?
- Five simple steps to start learning to love yourself
- 1. Meet your own needs properly
- 2. Chat with yourself
- 3. Practice accepting yourself
- 4. Surround yourself with positive people
- 5. Consume less negative news
Sometimes it is easier to love someone else than to love yourself. Many things can make you feel bad about your current condition. For example, a bulging stomach, double chin, to other things that make your life target fail to reach.
In fact, having a good relationship with yourself is just as important as establishing friendship with other people. Maybe even more important. So, let's start learning to love yourself before loving others!
Why should we love ourselves?
Self-love is not here in the sense of developing a deviant narcissistic personality. Loving yourself for who you are means that you can accept all your strengths without feeling arrogant, but on the other hand is also willing to embrace all of your shortcomings — without being covered up. Simply put, loving yourself must be wholehearted and unconditional.
Loving yourself sincerely frees you from social burdens. By loving yourself, you learn to understand yourself and continue to be grateful for what you already have. You are not required to focus on other people's problems. You will also not be busy comparing yourself to other people's lives, so you will have more time to take care of yourself to be even better.
In the end, when you feel good about yourself, the people around you feel the same way too. They will be comfortable around you, because you radiate positive energy from within.
According to Stephanie Kang, a psychologist from PsychCentral, connecting with yourself is the most important thing on earth. Simply put, having a good relationship with yourself will help you to build harmonious relationships with other people, as well as be the first step to success in life.
Five simple steps to start learning to love yourself
You don't have to be grandiose to learn to love yourself for who you are. But indeed, to begin with, you must first know who you really are - such as what your attitudes, characteristics, needs, desires, to what you like and don't like.
Ready to start loving yourself? Come on, follow these five easy steps.
1. Meet your own needs properly
According to Julie Hanks, LCSW, a therapist from PsychCentral, the first step for you to start making friends with yourself is to pay attention to your physical, spiritual, psychological, and mental needs. For example, knowing you have to get enough sleep 7-8 hours every night, eat three times a day, exercise, and take the time to relieve stress and pray, for example.
But don't just pay attention. All of these needs must be met in healthy ways. For example, by making sure your diet is healthy, starting to commit to small exercise, to scheduling bedtime and not getting in the habit of staying up late.
Hanks also recommends that you prioritize activities that make you happy and happy. No need to be extravagant. Fun and happiness can be obtained from small things. For example, taking a walk in the park, eating the food you like occasionally, soaking in warm water while lighting an aromatherapy candle, or watching your favorite movie series in your spare time. Although they may seem trivial, these things can bring you happiness and fulfillment in an indirect way.
2. Chat with yourself
Self-talk is a simple way to learn to love yourself. By talking to yourself or talking to yourself in the bedroom, bathroom, or in front of the mirror, you will begin to make friendships with yourself.
When chatting alone, you will put yourself in the position of the other person who talks to you. The content of this chat will allow you to better evaluate yourself objectively, which can be helpful input. Talking to yourself in the end can help you be more focused and motivated to be even better.
According to Hanks, for example, it doesn't hurt to wonder why you feel uncomfortable when this person keeps calling you. "Why do I feel uncomfortable? What makes me uncomfortable if he calls him constantly? " Now, talking to yourself can help you figure out the answers, so you can decide what to do to make you feel good.
One more benefit of chatting with self-reflections is to channel pent up emotions. When you are upset or angry, for example when you are stuck in a traffic jam, then you talk or scream to yourself. You don't realize it, after a while you will calm down on your own.
3. Practice accepting yourself
Establishing a good relationship with yourself can start by accepting yourself as you are, including your strengths and weaknesses. Self-confidence will emerge when you have a good view of your personality.
Remind yourself that true beauty is not visible on the outside. When you feel good about yourself and who you really are, you will carry yourself with confidence and make you think that being beautiful has nothing to do with being like a supermodel, it has to do with heart and mind.
If you can't do it yourself, Stephanie Kang suggests that you try to confide in and share with friends, family or even a psychologist who can help with your self-distrust problem.
4. Surround yourself with positive people
One way to have a good, healthy relationship with yourself is to surround yourself with people who love you. Gathering with people who are positive, loving and loving character, can be an advantage in itself for you. You can get carried away with positive habits and habits about yourself. This can make you feel better about yourself.
5. Consume less negative news
Deep curiosity sometimes plunges you into negative sources, one of which is currently popular which can be obtained through the media. According to Kang, carrying news of hatred, crime or violence can make you overwhelmed, feel afraid and ultimately make yourself unhealthy in your mind.
Therefore, try to limit reading negative news that can make yourself think negatively continuously. Make a schedule to open your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram as little as possible, interact with more positive people. Then, discover how precious you are in this world.