Every person has experienced a time when they felt down, depressed, anxious, or simply less. Your circumstance may not be in your control, but you can control your reaction to it. That might seem a bit cliché, but it’s true. There are things you can do to improve your self-view. You want to be proud of the person you are, and that starts with acting like the person you want to be. Confidence, happiness, and purpose will come naturally over time. In the meantime, take the time to love yourself for all that you’ve accomplished so far. Here are a few ways to do just that.
Self-Talk
Negative thoughts like to pop up when we least expect or want them. However, there is power in self-talk. Redirect that negative inner dialogue and change the wording or outlook. For example, take “I wish I wasn’t so fat” and change it to “I’ll lose this weight soon.” You have the power to squash those destructive thoughts.
Physical State
Little changes in your physical state can make a huge difference in your mentality. Are you slouching? Straighten your spine. Are you frustrated? Smile and you’ll notice a difference right away. You’ll look in the mirror and say, “That’s a confident person.” Who wouldn’t want to think that about themselves?
Little changes in your physical state can make a huge difference in your mentality. Are you slouching? Straighten your spine. Are you frustrated? Smile and you’ll notice a difference right away. You’ll look in the mirror and say, “That’s a confident person.” Who wouldn’t want to think that about themselves?
Meditate
Meditation allows you to self-reflect and practice control over your body and mind. Visualize what you want to do for work the next day… Are you winning? Instead of dwelling on negative aspects, acknowledge that you want to change them and take steps to adapt to your “new you.”
Support
Surround yourself with people who support you. Toxic relationships and petty friendships will only deplete all that work you’re putting into yourself. When the people around you are happy and content, it will naturally spread to you. Positivity is the best defense against negativity, after all.
Surround yourself with people who support you. Toxic relationships and petty friendships will only deplete all that work you’re putting into yourself. When the people around you are happy and content, it will naturally spread to you. Positivity is the best defense against negativity, after all.
Self-Care
Take a day or evening to pamper yourself. A hot bath with a glass of wine can do wonders for your stress levels. Eating healthy and exercising will not only you’re your physical appearance, but your inner workings, as well. You’ll naturally have more energy and produce more serotonin (the feel good chemical).
Fun
Have you ever noticed that you start to feel depressed because you haven’t laughed in a while? You need to release those feel-good chemicals and have fun. Play a game with your kids or go out for dinner with your friends. What brings you joy? A good book? Painting? Do what you love.
Have you ever noticed that you start to feel depressed because you haven’t laughed in a while? You need to release those feel-good chemicals and have fun. Play a game with your kids or go out for dinner with your friends. What brings you joy? A good book? Painting? Do what you love.
Listen
It’s important to listen to yourself. What do you need? Don’t keep putting off that trip to the doctor if you’re not feeling well. Are you unhappy with your romantic relationship? Then make your concerns known. It’s okay to let go of things that make you unhappy. Your inner voice is there for a reason.
Push
As much as we want to say that you should do whatever you want, that’s not healthy either. You need to make goals to further yourself. Push yourself to the limit. Are you wanting to beat your workout time? What about your career? Have you been avoiding your boss because you want a raise? Never underestimate yourself and always push for more.
As much as we want to say that you should do whatever you want, that’s not healthy either. You need to make goals to further yourself. Push yourself to the limit. Are you wanting to beat your workout time? What about your career? Have you been avoiding your boss because you want a raise? Never underestimate yourself and always push for more.
Purpose
Most people feel that “something is missing” as they go about living their lives. That feeling is “purpose.” You need to find a reason you get up in the morning. If that means taking part in something bigger than yourself, then do it. Dedicate your life to cancer research or simply care for a disabled family member. You give yourself purpose, so go out there and find it.
Give
When you’ve found your purpose and love yourself because of it, you stop looking for outside confirmation. You’ll trust yourself to make the right choices for you. When that happens, giving back can grow that internal love. If that comes in donating a portion of your paycheck to charity, great! If it’s tutoring a struggling student, then more power to you. It’s all up to you.
Do you feel the love now? It’s not easy to love another, let alone yourself. It takes hard work and proactive steps to get to where you need to be. However, making the effort every day to at least like yourself will make a huge transformation down the road. You choose who you want to be and you have the power to make it happen. With that said, we wish you luck on your journey, and hope that you find happiness along the way.
When you’ve found your purpose and love yourself because of it, you stop looking for outside confirmation. You’ll trust yourself to make the right choices for you. When that happens, giving back can grow that internal love. If that comes in donating a portion of your paycheck to charity, great! If it’s tutoring a struggling student, then more power to you. It’s all up to you.
Do you feel the love now? It’s not easy to love another, let alone yourself. It takes hard work and proactive steps to get to where you need to be. However, making the effort every day to at least like yourself will make a huge transformation down the road. You choose who you want to be and you have the power to make it happen. With that said, we wish you luck on your journey, and hope that you find happiness along the way.