A Technical Guide on How to Be Good to Yourself
Everybody goes through a phase where we hate ourselves. We tend to subject ourselves to some pretty harsh judgment and criticisms, which leads to punishing ourselves just for these reasons.
Perhaps we hate our squeaky voice, or our uneven eyes, or our acne-infested face, or our body rolls, or our height… the list may go on and on, but the point is that we may see so many things wrong about our bodies that we forget how to be good to ourselves.
Self-love is difficult, but we must practice it every minute of every day. We have to show ourselves that we appreciate our personality, our quirks, our physical appearance, and everything about ourselves. And self-love technically grows when we notice our physical, emotional, social, mental, and spiritual growths.
The logic behind this is that we get proud of ourselves for all our achievements, whatever they may be. Therefore, we have to come up with even the littlest things to celebrate. Anything just to get to the point where we love ourselves deeply and genuinely.
Practicing self-love is different for each person, and figuring out what it looks like for you is important in growing up and in valuing your mental health.
What are examples of actively practicing self-love?- Prioritizing ourselves and learning how to say “no”
- Trusting that we will achieve our goals in time
- Taking time to give ourselves a physical and mental break
- Setting healthy boundaries with ourselves and with others
- Forgiving ourselves for the mistakes we commit
- Being mindful of our bodies and our surroundings
- Listing down in a journal everything we are thankful for
- Filling ourselves up with healthy food and drink
- Acknowledging that our beauty is unique and appreciating it
- Ending toxic relationships and putting ourselves first
- Creating a life that we enjoy so we always wake up excited
- Building healthy relationships with family and friends
- Setting time to work on our passion projects and hobbies
- Healing and letting go of past trauma and wounds
- Having fun with what little or big opportunities are in front of us
There are so many ways to be good to ourselves. Whatever floats our boat, we have to stick to it. This way, we will be able to cultivate and nourish ourselves to live the life that we have always wanted.
Always strive to become the best version of yourself, but recognize that it is never a straight line to get from point A to point B.
Written By Erin Ocampo