Self Care: How To Show Love To Yourself

In these current times of the Covid 19 pandemic, loss of jobs, unemployment, among other challenges, one can easily get depressed or develop self-hate. Loving yourself is more difficult than it seems, although it is a very important feat to maintain your mental and physical health.

This article is to help encourage you to love yourself and the steps are my ideas or suggestions rather.

It is a virtue to love others and show care but remember even the bible instructs that we should love others as we love ourselves. So self-love is crucial to your personal development as a person and how you treat others sometimes may be a reflection of how you treat yourself.

Love Yourself

What does it mean to love yourself? And how do you actually go about achieving this?

Due to various reasons, many people find it easier to love others than to love themselves. Sometimes we expect so much from ourselves and give so little at the same time. We are our own harshest critic, we sometimes engage knowingly in unhealthy relationships because we feel we don't deserve any better, use of toxic substances, and in some cases self-mutilation. It is so easy to dwell on your own perceived inadequacies, but remember we are all imperfect, hence you are not alone.

Whatever the reasons are for your lack of self-love you can always start caring for yourself. Some people fear that self-love leads to being selfish, but rather it serves as a blueprint for others to know how to show love to you.

There are numerous ways to show yourself, love, although I will just discuss 19 ways here in order to allow you to get right to it.

19 Ways to love yourself

1. Know thyself. Invest time and effort in knowing who you are, your likes, dislikes, wants, values, principles, and other beliefs. Only when you know yourself can you truly love you.

2. Learn to say "no" when you need to: Setting boundaries in every relationship is essential because this lets the other person know that you deserve and want respect. Do not let people take advantage of you all the time at your own expense.

3. You are unique: Do not compare yourself to others as everyone has their own value and time to achieve their set goals. Learn to accept yourself the way you are and count your successes and blessings.

4. Be aware: Our lives are full of events, distractions and activities, although these can be fun and relaxing also. We need to create time for self-reflection and to know more about ourselves.

5. Use your strengths: Knowing your strengths is a result of knowing yourself of course. Everyone has their own talents or gifts rather and using your strengths will help you focus on the positive side of your life and hence lead to an increase in self-love.

6. Pamper yourself: You need to give yourself treats more frequently, and you know treats are not a form of reward but just because you are who you are. Take that vacation, buy that gift you have always wanted for yourself, go for a full body massage at a spa, eat healthy food, as long as you can afford it. Besides you need

7. Be honest with yourself. Clearly being honest with yourself is the only way to achieve true self-love. Just like with your relationship with others, you need to have a healthy relationship with yourself. There can be no room for self-deception as this will hinder you from self-love.

8. Don't be too hard on yourself: Go easy on yourself and embrace your imperfections as a human and work towards self-development. You are a great person who has so much to offer, so cut yourself some slack, eh.

9. Learn to forgive yourself: Sometimes it can be difficult to forgive yourself and let go of the past. You need to do this to be able to forge ahead with your life and open up to future opportunities. Forgive yourself and put more effort into not making the same mistake again in the future, this is easier said than done of course.

10. Stop trying to please everyone: Newsflash, some people do not like you, no matter what you do for them. The sooner you accept this fact the better for you. Be yourself (authentic) and the right people will like you, do not waste your time and effort trying to please everyone around you all the time, learn to be yourself around others, of course, this does not mean you should not be civil.

11. Have fun: Engage in fun-filled activities because it is easier to love yourself when you are happy. Hang out with friends.

12. Be grateful: Gratitude is one of the simplest ways to focus on the good in yourself and in your life. Try identifying 3 things you're grateful for when you wake up every morning.

13. Take note of your successes: Writing down your successes can serve a solid reminder whenever you are feeling down or filled with self-doubt.

14. Take good care of your body: Good health as they say is better than wealth. Engage in exercises, eat healthy food, go out and get some fresh air frequently, get adequate rest and sleep. Try as much as possible not to lead a sedentary lifestyle.

15. Engage in a hobby: Hobbies can be fun, relaxing, challenging as well as encouraging personal development. Find at least one hobby to partake in, you will be amazed at the results it will yield for you.

16. Stand up for yourself: You need to love yourself in order to stand up for yourself. This is an effective way to air your views and build communication.

17. Praise yourself: Whenever you accomplish something give yourself a pat on the back.

18. Ask for help when you need it: Don't be afraid or feel too proud to ask for help. We all need help sometimes, so ask for it.

19. Surround yourself with people who treat you with kindness and respect: Who you spend time with reflects your feelings towards yourself. People who feel good about themselves hang out with positive people. Sometimes loving yourself means you have to end relationships with toxic people.

Summary

You will always be with yourself, whether you like or hate who you see in the mirror. To lead a healthy life it is important that you love yourself as this will help you love others and for people to be better around you. Self-love should never be confused with selfishness, but rather an expression of Love.

That's all folks.

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