One of the toughest struggles of the 21st century is to become an individual who loves themselves, especially when the individual happens to be a woman. That’s because we’re bombarded 24x7 with photoshopped images of models who look better than perfect, thinner than thin and happier than happy. And we all know how impossible it is to compete with such impossibly high standards. As a result of this, we tend to hate everything about ourselves, especially our imperfections. But the fact remains that in order to love yourself and be confident, you have to be patient. It isn’t a one off event – it’s an ongoing process which ends only when you die. Yes, it’s a commitment but it’s totally worth it.
How to Love Yourself and Be Confident
Start your day with love
The first thing you do when you wake up should not be to check your phone. No. Keep your phone aside, open your eyes and for a minute just sit in your bed. Smile. Breathe in love and breathe out love. Give yourself a minute of your life. Open your windows and soak in a little sunshine, if you will. Then go to the bathroom, do your business and then check your phone. If at all possible, try to avoid technology, especially your phone, when you’re in your home.
Don’t worry about the approval of others
The more you want to please others, the less happy you are. Don’t let your happiness be bound by the thoughts and emotions of others. Now obviously I’m not asking you to cut yourself off emotionally from everybody. No. Respect the opinions of loved ones, but ignore the opinions of random people who always seem to have an opinion about what you do or don’t do.
Avoid those who bring you down
This might be tough, but if you want to work on how to love yourself and be confident, then this is an essential step. Such people are a constant reminder of your flaws, thus serving to hold you back from loving yourself. It doesn’t matter if such people are your friends, family or even your partner. After all, isn’t it better to be single and happy than in a relationship and miserable? Surround yourself with people who motivate, inspire and respect you.
Meditate
Meditate for 5 minutes after you wake up, and 5 minutes before going to bed. If at all possible, meditate for a minimum of 20 minutes daily. Now you can do this by surfing videos on the internet or joining the closest yoga class near your home. Either way, meditation is essential for the peace of mind, because a troubled mind finds it difficult to love anybody.
Talk happy
Loving yourself isn’t just about everything done mentally. There are things you should do physically that improve your state of mind. And one of these things includes positive affirmation like talking about things in your life in a positive manner. For example, if it suddenly starts raining, you can react in two ways:
“Shit. My shoes got wet. UGH. I hate the rains”.
OR
“My shoes got wet. Oh, well. Could have been worse – the water could have seeped in my handbag and damaged my phone. Thank God it didn’t!”
Choose to always see the positive sides of things, and let that reflect in your speech as well.
Be kind to others
Now who says that the way on how to love yourself and be confident centres around you? No! You can grow confidence by simply helping the people around you. What goes around, comes around. Of course, that shouldn’t be the reason for you being kind towards others, but know that your good actions will be rewarded. Whether you’re aware of it or not is another issue. Also know that being kind doesn’t necessarily mean going out of your way to help your new neighbors move in. Sometimes being kind is about giving a smile to everybody in your path, and throwing in a compliment here and there every once in a while. Kindness takes little effort but produces great results, including respecting yourself more.
Loosen up a little
Being too serious about life never does anybody any good. You will be very, very miserable if you always choose to look at life seriously. More importantly, it will stop you from taking risks, because what if you fail? Or what would happen if something unplanned or unforeseeable happened?
See why being too serious isn’t good for your health? Live more, laugh more and hang out more with people who make you happy. Life will move on, whether you’re serious about it or not.
Be patient
Know that the answer to the question, "How to love yourself and be confident?" begins with being patient. Why? Because loving yourself is a slow process that gains momentum over a period of time. It’s not as if you snap your fingers and BAM! You’re in love with yourself. No. And in your path, you will experience failures, you will face setbacks and you will come across people who will want to pull you back. And to face them all requires a LOT of patience. Being in a rush will not do you any good.
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