You’re probably too hard on yourself. It’s much easier to make your way through the world if you love and appreciate yourself. Perhaps the greatest struggle we all face is the struggle to accept and love ourselves in spite of our many flaws. This isn’t something that’s likely to happen without a little work, though, because we seem to be programmed to ridicule ourselves.
Love and appreciate yourself more each day with these strategies:
- Give yourself an earnest compliment each day. Have you ever felt like you needed a compliment? Go ahead and give yourself one! Think about all your great qualities, efforts, and activities and congratulate yourself on one of them. There’s no reason to wait for someone else to get around to saying something nice. Give yourself a nice compliment right now.
- Make a list of your accomplishments. You’ve accomplished plenty of great things, both large and small. Make a list of them. Be creative and give this exercise some thought. You’ll find that your life has been more impressive than you realized.
Did you make the list?
- Eat in a healthier manner. Most people overestimate how hungry they really are and underestimate how much they actually eat. Take better care of yourself by making some changes to your diet. Small improvements over time make a big difference. You’re an intelligent person; you know which foods you need to cut back on and which foods you need to eat more of. Add a few of them to your diet and drop a few of the less healthy foods. It’s not about depriving yourself; it’s about making better choices.
- Show yourself that you’re important. You wouldn’t feed junk food to your child or beloved pet. Give yourself the same level of importance.
- Support a cause you believe in. Spending time on something you think is important is a great way to show yourself that you’re a good person. You’ll feel better about yourself and put a smile on your face.
volunteernation.org
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- Be grateful. Appreciating what you have makes it easier to love and appreciate yourself. No one enjoys being around a grumbler and complainer. Think about your life and make a list of the things and people that fill you with gratitude. It’s surprising how much of a great life you already have.
- Forgive your past self. Sure, you’ve made some mistakes and probably done and said a few awful things along the way. Everyone has. But that period of your life is over now. Why drag the past into the present? You can make a fresh start each day. Let it go.
- Make one small improvement. As great as you are, you can be even better. Make one small change that will enhance your life in some way. Maybe it’s exercising for few minutes each week or calling your mom once a week. Show yourself that you can grow and become a better version of yourself.
Try these easy ideas:
• Read or watch something positive, motivating, or inspirational.
• Be more patient with yourself, family, and coworkers.
• Give honest and sincere complements more often.
• Take pride in your appearance.
- Do one thing each day makes you happy. My mother had a saying; The time to be happy is now! If not today, when? There’s no time like the present to begin enjoying your life. Start taking those guitar lessons, finally get a dog, or volunteer at the local food bank. Start loving your life and yourself.
Bonus!
- Become resilient to negativity. For many people, negativity is their default attitude. Odds are that there is least one person in your life like that our relationships is poisoning your life. It might be a friend, partner, family member, or coworker. Value yourself enough to be resilient against negative people and situations.
You have many wonderful qualities that you’ve been overlooking. Believe that you deserve love from yourself and those in your life. A little self-love and appreciation will enhance every part of your life.