5 Ways To Love Ourselves

The key to being able to love others is to love ourselves first, although we often forget it. If we do not love each other, we will not be able to establish healthy relationships because it is completely impossible to offer others what we ourselves lack.

But what does it mean to love yourself? Loving ourselves means being attentive to our vital needs, accepting ourselves as we are, respecting ourselves, being honest and getting our best version. Is not it easy?

Although it seems simple, we do not always achieve this goal, so today we will highlight 5 key points so that you can learn to love yourself. Yes, it is a learning that will take time, but whose results will be very satisfactory for you and for your relationship with others.

1. Dare to be yourself

Many are the people who seem to have two types of face: one that they show when they are at home (in family) and another that they present to people outside (friends, neighbors, strangers). It seems that they do not dare to be themselves and that they try to be what others want them to be. One wonders if in these circumstances they adapt to the environment or are not really authentic with themselves. Because one thing is knowing how to adapt to the environment and the other is not being able to be yourself because of ‘what will they say’.

Loving ourselves means, necessarily, leaving appearances aside and all those external influences that may be directing our way of being. No matter where you move, showing yourself as you are will make you feel much better. In this way, you will discover if those who accepted you as you were will continue to do so or only did it for the image you wanted to convey.

Striving to please others is too great a sacrifice that can lead you down the path of stress and anxiety. Be positive about the way you are and never underestimate yourself. Think that you do not have to be more than yourself and that is very easy! Although the road may be a bit rough, you will appreciate it. Those around you will be people who will accept you for who you are and not for who you want to appear.

2. Live unique experiences

If we watch life go by one day after another immersed in the same routine, it is impossible for us to feel some kind of emotion or adrenaline that invites us to experience unique experiences. Little by little we will transform into apathetic and gray people who will not have aspirations to do anything else that is far from daily customs.

Loving ourselves also implies that it is our responsibility to take charge of life to avoid seeing it pass before our eyes as if it meant nothing. Are you really going to waste your precious time? We are so used to seeing life go by that we don’t care to sit on the couch and watch. However, without telling us that we have one week to live, what would we do? Wouldn’t something change in us? Time passes, so… let’s take advantage of it while we can!

Let’s take as an example that you are afraid to leave that job that does not motivate you and does not bring you anything, because money is always lacking and you feel very safe. Take a chance, do something crazy! You will achieve everything you set your mind to if you really start making decisions that allow you to get out of a situation that you don’t like. Fear is an adaptive emotion, however, when it paralyzes us so much that it prevents us from living a day to day normally, it means that it has taken over us. Sometimes it is good to get out of our comfort zone and seek new paths. Life is full of surprises!

3. Develop your potential

Many people are good at certain activities that may be related to sports or music, among others. But, if they do not practice and do not take a little of their time to dedicate to these hobbies , they probably will not get to enjoy them or develop their full potential.

We all have something that we are good at and, even if it is not like that, there will always be a different activity that we like to do. Therefore, trying and getting a little out of that work dynamic and obligations in which we find ourselves immersed is a good idea to start drawing new routes. Who knows if as a result our life can take another course that surprises us more than we thought.

Let’s imagine that you want to participate in some kind of painting because it relaxes you and you would like to perfect your techniques. For some reason you don’t dare and you end up postponing it. Do not do it! There is a phrase that says “do not leave for tomorrow what you can do today.” Perhaps, in the future, you will regret not having done it, so just get down to work.

4. Complain less

To love ourselves, letting go of victimhood will be essential. At times, we are plunged into that spiral of complaints that do not allow us to move forward because instead of acting, we simply regret it. As Buddhist Psychology affirms, when we complain, we only feed negative emotions. That is, we add more fuel to the fire. In this way, we only feed thoughts that produce negative states that lead us to suffering. Therefore, it will be essential to start focusing more on the positive aspects of the day to day and leave behind complaints and regrets.

Complaints will be of no use to you, indeed, they will prevent you from enjoying yourself. We will be much happier if we try to see the positive side of everything that happens to us, because contrary to regret, this does help us! We can learn, we can take ideas and we will move towards where we want.

Think of a time when you have been the victim of a situation and have complained. Did you solve something? Was everything better afterwards? Probably not. Enjoy and instead of complaining, adopt an attitude of acceptance and optimism. Acceptance, in this case, is a psychological process that invites us to accept the present situation and from there begin to take action. That is, it is not a passive process, but an active one. Loving ourselves means working with ourselves and regret is not the best of ways.

5. Open your mindset and free yourself

Many times we find ourselves living inside a bubble from which it is impossible for us to get out. This bubble protects us, but at the same time limits us to live new adventures. Sometimes all of this prevents us from connecting with new people and discovering hobbies that we might be passionate about.

Closed-minded people are like a dead end. Although they advance or recede, there is a moment when they cannot go further. What you are not aware of is that these alleys are just creations of your own mind. We tie ourselves down, preventing us from freeing ourselves and experiencing new things.

Sometimes living in a bubble has a lot to do with the fears we have. The very terror of facing them causes us to close ourselves up. To love ourselves, learning to face them and overcome them will be essential.

Do you love yourself Have you loved someone without loving yourself first? It is risky to dare to start a relationship if, previously, we have not learned to respect ourselves, value ourselves and be honest with ourselves and with others. To establish healthy relationships with others, you first have to focus on yourself and create a healthy relationship with yourself. Only then can you begin to love other people in a sincere and real way.