Building a Healthy Relationship with Every Part of Yourself – 7 Tips
We go through many relationships in our lifetimes—familial, romantic, and friendly. Regardless of how many connections you establish with other people, the one that you have with yourself will always be most crucial.
Throughout your life, you may have struggled to love yourself from time to time. You may even struggle with insecurities now, as well, and it can feel impossible to overcome. If you've become consumed by your insecurities, you aren't alone.
Furthermore, if you feel as though your insecurities have caused you to have low self-esteem, there are little things you can do to work towards building a healthy and happy relationship with every part of yourself!
1. Focus on the Positives
When you have low-self esteem, it's easy to fall into a rabbit hole of negatives. Though there are many things you do well, you can only seem to focus on what you do wrong. Start by making conscious efforts to work with your thinking. Practice noticing and then focusing on the things you're doing well: from the kind conversation you had supporting your co-worker or friend to that excellent avocado toast you just made! The more you practice focusing on your small everyday wins, the more you train yourself to notice positive moments in life, and this over time literally changes your brain chemistry - trippy I know!
2. Be Kind and Patient with Yourself
We tend to be especially harsh with ourselves, more so than we would be to other people. The next time you start to harshly critique yourself, first take note, “I’m being a total jerk to myself again” and then make a conscious effort to interrupt these negative thoughts. Practice replacing them with kindness and patience by asking yourself, what would I say to (insert loved one here) about this same exact topic. You don't deserve to treat yourself with anything but kindness.
3. Practice Self-Care
Self-care means different things to different people. For some, it involves working out and being physically active. For others, it means indulging in a special treat, like ordering a pizza or enjoying a glass of wine. Both forms of self-care are valid. Whatever self-care means to you, I invite you to practice it more often. Not only will you be doing something you enjoy, but you'll feel better afterward as well! Just be sure to keep in mind that self-care and indulgence are not the same ;). Self-care actually leaves you replenished.
4. Accept Your Flaws
It's not easy to accept your flaws or shortcomings. However, we all have them, and it's not productive to fixate on them. Instead of hating yourself for your weaknesses, consciously work towards either accepting or improving them. Over time, you'll come to find that what was once a weakness may now be a strength or a particular design characteristic that makes you uniquely beautiful!
5. Spend Time with Loved Ones
When you spend time with people who love you, you'll feel good about yourself in return. Start making extra time for friends and family; it'll make you feel happier, and it's a great way to spend your spare time. If you’re prohibited from seeing loved ones in person, video calls still work wonders for the soul! If you are retreating lately; this will be an important tip to take seriously and take action steps towards immediately.
6. Strive towards Improvement
No one is perfect, and we all have aspects of our lives that we could improve. However, there is a difference between recognizing where you could improve versus irrationally chastising yourself. By focusing on the former, you can make genuine, positive changes in your life.
For example, if you want to lose weight, it's not productive to fixate on how much you dislike your body. It is fruitful however to start adding one nutritious ingredient a day into your diet or opening your door to partake in a few deep breaths of fresh air. Not only are you actively making positive changes which over time build upon themselves, but you're doing so out of love for your future self.
7. Remind Yourself That You Are Enough
If you have low self-esteem, you may have lost sight of your self-worth. You are enough, and you are deserving of good things. Remind yourself this every day—it does help. Say it out loud to yourself: I am enough. I deserve love. I deserve happiness.
You may feel silly doing this at first, but after a while, you'll come to find how much these little reminders impact your well-being. Eventually, you’ll start to recognize where these positive reaffirms are right on the money!
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The journey to self-love is one that you will be on for your entire life. If you've been experiencing low self-esteem, consider practicing these self-love tips. If you need extra help, don't hesitate to reach out. I want to help you along your journey.
You don't deserve to go through life feeling negative about yourself—start building a healthy relationship with yourself today!