In the modern rat race, people find themselves on a treadmill, working hard to stay at the same spot. There are challenges and hardships at every step. The entire gift of 24 hours seems inadequate to meet all the responsibilities. In such a world, consistent success is overlooked but a single failure is always highlighted. There is very limited room to be human and make genuine mistakes – and still be accepted. All these factors make it very difficult for some people to love themselves. They start looking at themselves from the viewpoint of the outer world. They attach a lot of importance to how others think about them. Whatever be the reason, if you too feel that you find it difficult to love yourself, , after, say, a breakup and feel confident again, read on to get some easy ways to get started…
1. Take care of your mind and body
No matter how busy you are, you have to find time to love and respect your own body and mind. It is important to take care of your body through daily exercise.If you are hesitant to commit to a gym or a yoga routine, you can start simple. The easy way is to start walking daily, preferably in the early morning. If you can walk in a garden or by a river, you can enjoy the company of nature and spend some time with your own thoughts, before they drown in the cacophony of routine life or even the negative thoughts that come with a failure or breakup. Do spend some time in meditation and yoga. A fitter physique and a sharper mind can help improve your self-esteem and enable you to love yourself and be confident.
2. Take up some hobbies
This is one of the best gifts for you. Pick up the hobbies that you may have abandoned. Painting, singing, hiking or biking – choose the ones you love. If you can invite your friends who share the same hobby, it can be a fun-filled, bonding exercise as well. If you love reading books in solitude, reward yourself with a library membership and a dedicated time on your calendar. Post your book reviews on social media and interact with the world. If you love to travel but have been delaying it, set goals for yourself. Allocate time and budget and buy the tickets. If you are wondering how to love yourself first, this is the best way to go about it.
3. Love your peace of mind
Take some time and analyze – how much time and efforts are spent in worrying about unpleasant incidents of the past and uncertainties of the future? If you love your peace of mind, you should gift yourself the ability to let go. Learn to forgive and forget. You should start with absolving your own mistakes. Just learn from the failures and move on, with a determination not to repeat the same. Resist the impulse to judge others. They may have some constraints that may have compelled to them to act or speak in a particular way. It is important to empty your mind of trivial matters and focus on peace and inner happiness. This is the answer to ‘how to love yourself again’ after a failure or breakup.
4. Love and live your dreams
As a child, did you maintain a diary with your dreams and goals? As you grew up, the dreams are consigned to the background while you focused on carving out a daily existence. Take time to revisit your dreams and goals. At any age, you should continue your pursuit of something new. You will love the change in yourself and the sense of purpose this brings to your life.Do not try to compare yourself with others. These are your personal goals that you are trying to achieve!
5. Love those around you
Every month, try to catch up with old and new friends and folks. Try to accept people, the way they are. Try to help others without expecting any returns. If you share warmth and love, you will find that you get loved in return. Also commit yourself to charity and social work. You will love and respect yourself for your philanthropy and noble deeds. This will help you love someone and you as well.
These are some of the easy ways to start loving yourself. But if you find that there are deep rooted problems that prevent you from loving yourself, be committed to seeking professional help. As the Dalai Lama says – ‘love and compassion are necessity, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive’. If you love yourself, you can love others!