Love is all around. It’s Valentine’s Day soon and what better time to fall in love than right now. This V-day let us prioritise ourselves. Let us learn to love ourselves. Read more to know some ways to fall in love with yourself.
For the longest time, I personally struggled with self-love, self-worth and self-esteem. Accepting myself for who I am, in every way possible, was a never-ending struggle. Until I chose to change that. Here’s how I did that.
These are a few ways to fall in love with yourself once again.
1. PRIORITISE YOURSELF ABOVE ANYTHING ELSE
Prioritising yourself first might come across as negative or selfish but there is no harm in always making yourself first priority. Saying no to others can be difficult but do it for yourself. Stop trying to be a people pleaser and learn to live for yourself.
Put your happiness as your number one priority above anything else. Protect your vibe at all times. If you feel that someone or something is affecting your happiness then get rid of that kind of negativity. Always prioritise your well-being.
2. LEARN TO LOVE YOUR BODY
I can speak from experience, loving your body is not the easiest thing to do. Most of us struggle with this. Once my younger cousin told me that you can start loving your body by looking at yourself in the mirror every day and saying a few affirmations to yourself.
- I AM BEAUTIFUL
- I AM PERFECT AND COMPLETE JUST THE WAY I AM
- ONLY I CAN LOVE AND RESPECT MY BODY
It is crucial to find ways to love ourselves in the skin we are in, the body size or the shape we are in. It is important to eat clean, exercise, etc. Exercise not because you have to become a size zero body, but do it to feel good about yourself.
Read: Exercise:make it a lifestyle
3. ACCEPT LOVE FROM OTHERS
If someone has love to give to you then learn to accept that love. Sometimes, we’re just lost and confused as to why someone would love us limitlessly for the way we are. Change this thinking. Learn to accept the love others have to give. Accept every positive compliment as and when you receive it.
Letting others love us, in the smallest ways possible, make us ultimately love ourselves even more.
4. ACKNOWLEDGE EVERY WIN
Celebrate every win, however big or small. Understand your self-worth and cheer yourself up every now and then. Give yourself a pat on the back even for smaller wins you’ve achieved. Doing this will encourage you to perform even better the next time around.
By acknowledging every win, you are only motivating yourself to work more and give every goal and task your best performance.
Read: Goal Setting
5. APPRECIATE THE SMALLER THINGS IN LIFE
Do you pause every now and then, for a small breather, to just appreciate the smaller things in your life? If you’ve not done it yet then now is the time.
Learn to appreciate the little things that life gives us from time to time. This will never let you feel discouraged or worthless.
6. EXPRESS GRATITUDE
There’s a saying which goes “the more you count your blessings, the more blessings you have to count.”
A little bit of gratitude goes a long way. We have to learn to express and practice gratitude every single day. Gratitude lets you live longer and sleep better. Make gratitude your attitude. Expressing gratitude daily is an important skill to live a happy and fulfilling life.
If I had to put it in simpler terms, gratitude is like looking at a mirror. If you are filled with gratitude, others see it in you and reflect it right back.
7. PRACTICE POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS DAILY
If you’re confused or don’t know where to start then simply read this post here about positive affirmations.
Affirmations are like little reassurance or little gentle reminders to yourself every day. If it sounds or comes across as a little too overwhelming then simply just try it for 3 days in a row. If that works well for you then the following week increase these daily affirmations for the next 7 days until they’ve been incorporated into your daily routine.
8. NEVER COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS
How many of us as kids have been compared to others who were better than us, in the eyes of those that fed us those unwarranted thoughts? We fell for that. We believed what they said. This Valentine’s day, as you celebrate self-love and self-worth promise yourself, never to compare yourself to others.
9. INVEST IN YOURSELF AND YOUR HAPPINESS
After months of working like a workaholic at my full-time job and not giving myself enough time to work on myself and my happiness, it has made me realise only how crucial it is to do that. It is important to invest in yourself, in your wellbeing. That gives us the energy to function like no other. You can invest in yourself by practising self-care, by developing your skills to better yourself. You can even explore your creativity and take on some hobbies which would definitely make you happy and help you prioritise your happiness.
10. UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE UNIQUE
Every individual is unique. It is very important for us to understand that and celebrate our uniqueness in every way little way possible. Focus on your strengths and work on your weaknesses by accepting that you have a parcel of both of them in your life.
11. BUILD STRONG SELF-LOVE HABITS
If we dig deep within ourselves, we all have our own language of love. We just have to find those ways we are comfortable with and start building stronger self-love habits. Do it for yourself. Do it for you.
Building self-love habits can be easier than we comprehend. We just need to make sure we practice them daily without fail.
12. PRACTICE SELF-CARE
There are a number of self-care practices and ways to practice self-care. Choose the ones that work well for you. There is no fixed manual on how to practice self-care. Just as we are unique so are our self-care practices. It all depends on our personal likes and interests.
For reference, read:
13. PRACTICE DAILY JOURNALING
This is something I’ve been religiously practicing. Do it whenever it pleases you or whenever the time permits but even picking up a little diary and just writing how you feel can be very rewarding. You don’t need a fancy diary or book to start journaling, nowadays you can use various apps to practice daily journaling online. Here is an app by Intelligent Change to help you journal online: 5-minute journal.
14. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVE PEOPLE
I cannot emphasise this enough. You have to always surround yourself with positive people, whether friends or family. Here vibes of someone really come into play. If you feel someone isn’t being that positive influence in your life, just break those unwanted bonds. Keep your distance. As the saying goes, “birds of a feather flock together.” Spend time with those who have similar goals as you, those that are progressive in life and those that surround themselves only with positive vibes.
15. CHANGE YOUR MINDSET
The correct mindset, the right one can help you grow and progress. Start by recognising the mindset you have and possess. If there is anything wrong with it, change that mindset. A very important step to learn how to love yourself is by having the right kind of mindset.
These are a few ways you can learn to love and cherish yourself this V-day. Make sure to tag us on Instagram with a picture of you practicing any form of self-love using the hashtag #trulysoulfully
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Yours truly,
Lots of love
Vania xx