Struggling with Self-Love? : 10 Must-Read Reminders

 

To live your most positive and present life, it’s essential that you love who you are. But loving who you are can be quite a challenge at times. Truly conquering self-love is incredibly complex. It’s not just about positive affirmations or breaking up with that guy who treats you like garbage (though those are great starts!). It’s about investigating and assessing every aspect of your life — and continuing to do it all the time, for the rest of your life.

When it comes to self-love, we’re all works in progress, so I’ve rounded up some of my favorite reminders about self-love to keep in mind. If you’re struggling to embrace who you are, check these out for some inspiration (or bookmark them for a time you might need them!). 

 

YOUR FEELINGS, NO MATTER WHAT THE REASON, ARE VALID. 

You might have it pretty good (and if you’re alive and reading this, you probably have it better than a lot of people), but just because you’re not suffering from the worst thing in the world doesn’t mean that your pain isn’t valid. Loving yourself means allowing yourself to experience pain without judging yourself. Sure, other people might have it worse, but self-love means giving yourself permission to feel what you feel. (This doesn’t mean you should necessarily act on these feelings, but allowing yourself to feel them is an act of self-love). 

 

YOU WILL MAKE BAD CHOICES, AND THAT’S OKAY. 

We all make good choices and bad choices — that’s just part of life. Refusing to accept the bad choices you’ve made (either through denial or by beating yourself for having made them) isn’t a great way to show yourself love. Acceptance of yourself and others is one of the most vital aspects of self-love, and that acceptance includes embrace both the good and the bad choices you’ve made. The point of making a bad decision isn’t to serve as a painful reminder you return to again and again; it’s an opportunity to learn and make more positive choices in the future. 

 

YOU CAN CHOOSE TO FOCUS ON BEST-CASE SCENARIOS. 

When was the last time you imagined the best thing that could happen? Most of us imagine worst-case scenarios, which is totally human nature. We imagine these things so we can prepare for (and hopefully avoid!) them. But what would it be like if you chose to focus on best-case scenarios? Would you really be less prepared or is that just something you tell yourself? At the very least, you can choose to focus on the best-case scenario in addition to the worst-case possibilities. Your attitude, whether it’s positive or negative, impacts the way you think and act, and embracing optimism is a self-loving act.

 

YOU’LL NEVER 100% KNOW WHAT OTHERS THINK.

One thing that all-too-often gets in the way of self-love is making assumptions about what other people are thinking. Even if you know someone else extremely well, you can never know with 100% certainty what s/he is thinking, and making assumptions about what others’ intentions are can actually sabotage your own self-love. Assumptions get in the way of relationships with others and those relationships impact the one you have with yourself. Whenever you find yourself assuming what others are thinking, remind yourself that you only know for sure what’s in your own head. Creating clear communication with others will make it easier for you to love yourself.  

 

YOUR ANGER IS A SIGN OF FEAR OR PAIN. 

Everyone gets angry from time to time, and that’s perfectly okay (see #1!), but it’s so important to keep in mind that your anger stems from a place of fear or pain. Anger is a symptom, not a disease. Knowing this can help you better understand what you’re truly feeling. Your knee-jerk reaction if you feel angry is probably to think, “I’m mad!” but a great way to show yourself self-love is to dig a little deeper and find out where that anger stems from. When you do this, you not only gain a better understanding of the current issue you’re dealing with, but you also gain a better understanding of yourself. 

 

YOU DON’T HAVE TO ANTICIPATE WHAT WILL HAPPEN. 

Did you know that you can just let things happen? You don’t have to analyze everything or worry about what’s coming next or anticipate what other people are going to do. In fact, spending too much time prepping for the future (or dwelling on the past…) stands in opposition to self-love. Being present is a challenge, but when you give yourself the freedom to stay in the moment, you’re showing yourself a true kindness. It’s not easy to shut down a worrying mind, but keep in mind: it’s not your job to imagine the future. You deserve to be here, and enjoying, now.  

 

YOU AREN’T OBLIGATED TO LIKE EVERYONE. 

This probably isn’t news to you, but you’re not going to like everyone (and not everyone is going to like you). Once you embrace that fact, you release yourself from a lot of unnecessary stress and heartache. So many people spend time trying to like or be liked, instead of realizing that not everyone is meant to be linked to one another. This isn’t to say, of course, that you shouldn’t treat everyone with kindness and respect, but doing so doesn’t mean you have to be BFF with every person you meet. Show yourself self-love by reserving your time and energy for those you care about most. 

 

YOU’RE ALLOWED TO SAY “NO” WITHOUT AN EXCUSE. 

“No” isn’t a four letter word, contrary to what many people think. Learning that is one of the absolute best acts of self-love. We’ve all given only so much time here on Earth, and you reserve the right to use that time how you see fit. Every time you say yes to something, you’re saying no to something else. And the same goes for the reverse. Every time you say no to something you don’t want to do (particularly if it’s something that’s not good for you!), you’re saying yes to yourself. Be mindful of when (and why!) you say yes, and use that self-awareness to make more self-loving choices. 

 

YOU CAN’T RUN FOREVER FROM WHAT HURTS. 

If you’ve ever tried to run from your pain, you’re probably well aware that this is true. You might be able to run, but if you don’t deal with your pain, heartbreak, frustration, anger, or whatever other emotion you’re experiencing, it’ll come back later (and often in an unexpected and unpleasant way). Dealing with what hurts is one of the most difficult aspects of being human, but facing difficulties head-on is an excellent way to treat yourself with the love you deserve. It’ll be painful, for sure, but avoiding it will only amplify the pain. 

 

YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF THE STORY YOU TELL YOURSELF. 

You can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control the story you tell yourself about what happens. Everything we experience gets filtered through our minds into a story we tell ourselves. The story is often more important than the actual experience, because it stays with us and impacts future experiences. Our minds are imperfect — memories can be inaccurate, emotions can be heightened, and the facts can be distorted — but we can choose to make the most of whatever information we have, taking lessons from the hard times and embracing the good times. Choosing the story you tell yourself is one of the ways you can show yourself love.  

 

Self-love doesn’t always come easy, no matter how much you strive to make it a priority in your life. If you need some additional inspiration or motivation, check out some of the resources below!