7 Secrets to Liking Yourself More

"1.Practice Loving-Kindness

One way to practice it is to place your hand on your heart and take a few deep breaths (being sure to extend your exhalation longer than your inhalation). As you breathe deeply, repeat on the out-breath the mantra "May you have confidence." Do this about five times. Then repeat, "May you feel worthy of love." Do this about five times, too. It may not feel believable at first, but repeat this practice every day for at least one week and, chances are, you'll start feeling a little more tender towards yourself—and a bit less self-critical (as the research on loving-kindness practices suggests).

2. Remember Past Successes

When we're in a negative state of mind and feeling down about ourselves, we can fail to remember all the times in our life when we succeeded and felt pretty good about an accomplishment. Take five to ten minutes to write down a list of all the things you've felt good about doing in your lifetime, no matter how big or small. This will help remind you that you're actually capable of succeeding and that you do possess the capacity to celebrate your wins.

3. Call to Mind Supportive Others

Take a few moments to call to mind people throughout your life who believed in you or supported you in some fashion. (They don't need to still be in your life.) Imagine each one of them offering you words of encouragement, placing their hands on your back or shoulders and saying, "You've got this." "You're so much more capable than you think." Or something else you remember them saying to you that boosted your confidence—or induced a state of calm.

4. Do Good Things for Others

Most of us feel better about ourselves when we do good things for others. Consider doing one thing each day that helps someone out or brightens their day. This can be something as small as holding the door open for a neighbor, expressing gratitude to a coworker or friend, doing a favor for an acquaintance, or simply making brief pleasant small talk with a barista or server.

5. Forgive Yourself

Put a stop to ruminating over your assumed ineptitude by seeking out other peoples' stories of failure and recovery. Search online for media showing how other people have screwed up and clawed their way back to a dignified position. Or ask trusted friends and colleagues about their past mistakes.

6. Don't Shy Away From Challenge

The more we cancel plans, turn down invitations to events, and shy away from challenging situations, the less evidence we amass that, actually, we can hack it out there—and survive even if we embarrass ourselves. Challenge yourself to do one thing each month that takes you a bit out of your comfort zone.

7. Liking Yourself for the Long Haul

It takes time to overhaul the negative core beliefs we hold about ourselves. In fact, this is a primary focus of cognitive behavioral therapy, and it doesn't just happen overnight. But a continuous effort to act in ways that genuinely make us feel better about who we are and what we've done, combined with a commitment to challenging faulty thinking patterns that lead us to conclude we're irredeemable does, ultimately, pay off."

Read the full article on Psychology Today

✨Takeaway: Challenge negative self-talk by reframing your thoughts. Instead of focusing on your flaws, focus on your positive qualities and accomplishments. Remember that self-liking is a process, and it takes time and effort to cultivate a positive self-image!

✨Reflection: How do you practice self-kindness?

#Emotions #Self-Esteem #Self-Kindness #Self-Compassion

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