What is Love? Wikipedia says, “Love is a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes that range from interpersonal affection (“I love my mother”) to pleasure (“I loved that meal”). It can refer to an emotion of a strong attraction and personal attachment.” The funny thing about loving other people, is that we need to love ourselves before we can love anyone else.
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What is Self-Love?
Self-love is a combination of self-acceptance, self-possession, self-awareness, kindness, and respect for ourselves. Believe t or not, some people find that they are the hardest person to love in their lives. We know everything we have done, good or bad, so it makes sense that we would judge ourselves more harshly than anyone else will. But is it so hard to love ourselves? Not really. No one is going to love you if you don’t love yourself, so learning to love yourself is critical. Here are some tips to help you love yourself, and more importantly, to be more confident about yourself.
“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
Simple Tips for Love Yourself:
* Forgive yourself (if you don’t nobody will).
*Stop criticizing yourself.
* Praise and appreciate yourself.
* Find ways to support yourself.
* Appreciate your body and tell yourself you are beautiful. You are more than just your appearance.
* Do something simple that makes you happy.
* Go after your dreams.
* Smile, it creates happiness.
* Celebrate your successes.
* Pamper yourself.
“In order to love yourself, you must behave in ways that you admire.” ~Irving Yalom.
Read: This Abstract Image Test Will Reveal Your True Self
Overcome Negative Thoughts About Yourself:
Many people have trouble letting go of negative thoughts that they have about themselves. Focusing only on the negatives in your life is a bad habit we all tend to slip into. It is impossible to love yourself if all you have is negative thoughts about who you are and what you’ve done. Negative thoughts are inevitable at times, but we have to stop supporting those negative thoughts. They have a huge impact on your mindset.
Appreciate Yourself:
Appreciating yourself is a wonderful thing and is a practice we all should adopt. Start appreciating yourself for who you are and what you have. This allows you to realize your true worth. Once you realize your worth, you won’t settle for anything else. When you start to appreciate your talents, beauty, and brilliance you will be able to love your imperfectly perfect self.
Read: Emotional Balance: Why it is So Important in Our Lives
Find Positive Things About Yourself:
Try to find positive things about yourself and make a list of your positive attributes. When you feel down, take a look at the list of your positive attributes. You will realize that you deserve love and respect. Let those positive attributes run through your mind.
Be Confident About Yourself:
What other people think of you doesn’t matter, as long as you are confident about yourself.
Do Things That Make You Feel Good:
Start doing things that make you feel good both physically and emotionally. Do things that you wanted to do in your childhood. Read that book you’ve been meaning to read. Spend more time outside.
Read: 20 Signs that you are Truly Loved
Spend Some Time Alone:
Before you can be happy with someone else, you truly need to find happiness within yourself. One of the best things you can do to accomplish that is to spend some time alone, doing things you love. Take action and create a beautiful life for yourself. Trust in yourself, do good work, and you will see results. Spending time with your partner is not the only thing that brings happiness, you have to realize that you can be happy, by spending time alone too.
