You are your own best friend in the true sense. Learn how to be your own cheerleader!
Let’s start with an exercise…
In this article…
- Exercise
- Why is self-love important
- Steps to practise self-love
Take a pen and paper and make a list of things you love about yourself. Make sure you take a pen, and not a pencil because you are not allowed to strike out anything from this list later. Now, see what you are missing out. Look at the list and realise that if your list is small, you are under-appreciating yourself.
However, don’t get worried because you are not the only one. There are millions of people out there in the world who do not appreciate themselves as much as they deserve.
It is important to know your worth and more importantly to practise self-love because at the end of the day if you don’t love yourself? How to practice self-love? We got some tips!
Haters gonna hate
If you often stand in front of the mirror and put yourself through a scan of ‘Should I lose that extra pound?’ or even if you look at your handwriting and think you could have written better, drop that magnifying glass right now and pat yourself for being amazing.
You will find tons of critics and haters, and you don’t need to add your own name in that list. Understand the importance of self-love. Replace your negative thoughts with self-appreciative statements (affirmations) and see the difference in your own attitude and personality.
‘Yes, we can’
Make a list of the things that scare you — it can be as small as walking out in the dark or as big as Bunjee jumping. Step by step, make plans to conquer these fears. Start with the smaller and more basic fears, and then climb your way up the list, Conquering your fears — big or small — will help you gain more confidence.
Be the bigger person for yourself
If and when you make a mistake, learn to forgive yourself. Remember that everyone makes multiple mistakes on a daily basis. So, if you start being critical of every mistake you make, you will soon be left with nothing but regrets. So, identify your mistake and find a way to work across it, rather than feeling sorry for yourself.
Happy hour!
Every day take out at least an hour to indulge in an activity that sparks joy for you. This activity can be dancing, running, listening to music, reading, cooking or even just sitting in your balcony with a cup of tea. Whatever the activity be, take out at least an hour for yourself and appreciate your own strength. It would be preferable to have this time at the end of the day so that you can also use this time to unwind and go to sleep in the most peaceful and calm mind.
Be your own advocate
No matter what, nobody has the right to take you for granted or treat you in a way that you do not like or approve of. It will never be okay for someone to mistreat you, no matter what the circumstances are. So, if something happens that you didn’t like, stand up for yourself and tell the concerned person that you do not appreciate them ill-treating you. Never let anyone negatively affect your self-respect.
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