It’s an amazing time to be alive. In fact, it doesn’t matter what your background, where you live, what race, religion, gender or sexuality you are, there has never been a more tolerant epoch in human history, and that’s something to be impossibly happy about. However, for all the progression and positivity out there, it’s easier than ever to fall into a pattern of feeling down on yourself. For some, this is the result of holding yourself to crazily high standards and, for others, it’s because you spend too much of your time and energy focusing on others. In either case, we all need to do more on the self-love front and that’s because no good can come from feeling inadequate. It’s bad for your mental health, bad for sleep, bad for relationships, careers, physical health, everything.
The good news is: self-love can mean a lot of different things and be achieved through a lot of different habits, so long as they all work toward the same thing and that’s feeling good about yourself. That said, we are all going to suffer from self-esteem issues now and then. It’s just a part of life. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do more to have a consistently positive relationship with yourself; you just need to put in a little bit of proactive work to make it possible, and to help you with this we’ve pulled together a list of habits that will ensure you love yourself more. Promise.
- One Day At A Time
Each day is filled with a million different moments. What you need to start doing is recognising the little and large accomplishments as you pass through each day, forever remembering you are on a journey. It’s not about what you have done or finished, but the person you are trying to become. Not only will this help you become more productive with time, but you will also be able to build up some motivation as you go.
- Do Something Bigger Than You
There’s no better way to remind yourself of what a good person you are than doing something kind every single day. It could be big or small. By doing something kind for others makes us feel great about ourselves and fills us with a dollop of self-love. Donate the clothes you don’t wear to a homeless shelter, give a handful of dollars to Cane Bay Partners, drop some coins into that busker’s hat, pay for a stranger’s coffee. Anything. You’ll feel so much better about yourself.
- Pay Attention to Compliments
There is a reason why we tend to ignore compliments extended our way when we’re low on self-esteem and it’s all to do with these compliments not lining up with the views we have of ourselves. To break this habit, start by making a note of all the compliments you receive this week, from the “I love your trousers” comments to the “great work on that project” moments. Then, at the end of the week, read them all back. You’ll be amazed at what you read and how much your spirits get lifted.
