Learning to Love Yourself

As the fun loving Lucille Ball once said, “Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” The first key to living a fulfilled life is learning to love yourself. This is the foundation for any other cherished relationships you develop throughout your life. It is sometimes difficult to get started on this quest of self-love, because there is no one else who can help you on your journey. If you remain focused and understand the benefits of appreciating your contributions to the world, you will be successful in this quest. Concentrating on the following areas will help get you started on this life-long commitment. Discover Who You Are Before you can love someone you need to know that person. Create time for self-reflection to discover who you truly are. Do not focus on what individuals, such as parents or teachers, may have wanted you to be in the past. Additionally, do not focus on the common roles you have inherited, such as parent or your professional role. Reflect on the emotions you display most often and in what environment you display these emotions. It may be helpful to think of a few words that best describe yourself, write them out, and keep them in a prominent location to reflect on daily. Be Positive Listen to you inner voice and determine if you are an optimist or a pessimist. If you are an optimist, make sure these positive opinions are present when you are thinking about yourself. If you are a pessimist, focus on generating a positive opinion about the qualities and values you possess. It’s important to think about yourself with an upbeat point of view. Self-confidence can be generated from constant positive thinking and will likely have the greatest impact on your relationships with others. Pursue Your Passions Determine the activities that you truly enjoy. Try not to focus on those performed to generate income, or your daily responsibilities. Perhaps think about your childhood, and the games or hobbies that made you the happiest. Engage in these activities once every week. This will help you further discover who you are and assist with appreciating the person you are capable of becoming. Treat Your Body Like it is a Temple Listen to your body. If you are really in touch with yourself, your body will tell you what it needs. If you are agitated and antsy, it is likely time to engage in an enjoyable physical activity. If you listen close enough, your body may even tell you the type of food you body is deficient in. Craving something salty? Your sodium level is probably low. Craving nuts or a chicken breast? You definitely need some protein. Try to eat food in its purest form, the way God created it. Also, don’t be afraid to give into indulge on occasion and enjoy your favorites every now and then, such as chocolate or a gourmet meal. Timely rewards are critical to loving yourself. You can greatly improve your life by focusing on these four areas. Initially, your relationship with yourself will be improved, and this will strengthen your relationships with those you love.