Loving Yourself

[Mel]

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 1, Issue 10 (March 2008).

Loving Yourself
by .Infinity. (Mel)

As we go through life, we all go through different things. We go through different experiences, different obstacles, different phases and so on. Many times, mostly every time, the things that happen during each situation can make a huge impact on how we see ourselves. May it have been something someone said, something you couldn't do or whatever, either negative thing can cause you to have negative thoughts or feelings about yourself. Having these feelings or thoughts certainly doesn't mean that they're true, but it can feel like they are at the time.

Depending on what goes on during your life, though you may be able to love others effortlessly, loving yourself can be quite a task. Here is a little something to help you work on loving the most important person there is - you.

Positivity!

That's right! All things start with positivity. Here are some positive things that you should try doing if you feel bad about any certain aspect of yourself.

A) Forgiveness.

Everything begins with forgiveness. Usually when you've done something wrong, you get upset with yourself. You may blame yourself for things, tell yourself that you can never do things right, repeat to yourself that you're a failure and so on. The first thing you have to do is to stop. You need to tell yourself that what you did was simply a mistake (if it was), that you did the best you could, and that you will try again some other time. You also need to tell yourself that it's okay, that everyone makes mistakes. No person is perfect.

"Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it." - Mark Twain.

B) Focus on your good qualities, not your faults.

The next thing you need to do is to look at the positive things you can do. Whether you can write well, do math, ski, paint, design things, sing, dance, organize things or help others, you need to remind yourself of all of the good things that you CAN do. If you tell yourself that you can't do anything good or right, you need to stop and think about it. Ask yourself what you did last that you did well, something that you had fun doing or anything else. There is always something good that you can do, even if it's just something small. Remember, even the small things count.

"Love yourself unconditionally, just as you love those closest to you despite their faults." - Unknown.

C) Accept yourself.

The last thing, but certainly not the least important thing, is for you to find beauty in yourself. You need to try to accept yourself as you are, to see beauty from within. If you feel negative about who you are, try to find something good about yourself. If you're feeling negative about how you look or anything else, take some time to find things you like. Physically, whether it's the colour of your eyes, your hair or anything, try to find something you like. It doesn't have to be anything major, but just something you find good.

"A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval." - Mark Twain.

In the end of it all, all you have to do is to try to find the good things about yourself. We all have good parts to ourselves, even if it's hard to believe at times. Negative feelings are bound to bother us at one time or another, but you can feel good about yourself. Just remember that the key to it all is positivity. Be positive, be strong, and most importantly - always be yourself. There's no one else like you, so be good to yourself, too.