What should loving yourself mean for you

Loving yourself is vitally important, but it's also a process that takes time. As much as we'd all like to say that you can magically transform into someone who loves themselves overnight, the fact is that loving yourself takes time and effort—and it's not easy. That being said, if you're struggling with self-loathing or self-doubt, there are ways to bring more love into your life and start seeing yourself in a more positive light! I'm here to share with you some of the ways that I've learned over time have helped me learn how to truly love myself better each day.

Loving yourself means forgiving yourself for past mistakes.

We all make mistakes, and some of those mistakes can feel like they're weighing us down forever. For example, maybe you didn't do as well on an exam as you would've liked. Or perhaps you said something mean to someone who then felt hurt by it. Maybe even worse than that: maybe there was a time when you did something that went against what your values were and now regret it greatly.

But if these experiences are not dealt with properly, they can have lasting effects on our lives—and in most cases, the best way to deal with them is forgiveness. Forgiving yourself is an act of self-love; it allows you to move forward without carrying old baggage that no longer serves its purpose or has any value anymore (if so, why haven't we discarded it yet?). It means learning from your experiences instead of dwelling on them until they weigh down every aspect of your life and keep hindering growth into adulthood.

Loving yourself means giving yourself the space to relax and unwind at the end of a busy day.

Giving yourself the space to relax and unwind at the end of a busy day will help you recharge, while also providing an opportunity for self-care.

You don't need to do anything elaborate—just find some time alone with your thoughts. Take a hot bath or shower, light candles in your bedroom and listen to relaxing music while reading a book or listening to an audiobook. Or maybe you love curling up on the couch with Netflix; if so, make sure that you're taking care of yourself by choosing shows that inspire positivity and promote healthful living.

Whatever it is that helps you chill out after work (and maybe before bed), make sure it's part of your daily routine.

Loving yourself means recognizing your own strengths and knowing you are capable of achieving whatever you want to achieve.

Loving yourself means recognizing your own strengths and knowing you are capable of achieving whatever you want to achieve.

• Recognize your strengths. Are you good at fixing cars? Are you an excellent cook? Do people come to you for advice regarding their love lives? Are there things that make life more enjoyable for others that only seem to exist because you’re around (like a dance party or music festival)? Whatever it is, recognize it and be proud of what makes up who you are.
• Know that even if someone else doesn’t value the same qualities in themselves as much as they should, they don’t know the power behind these qualities. You may have a friend who has been through some rough times and thinks she isn’t strong enough—but she has never needed to be strong until now. Sometimes all it takes is one memory from her past or one experience with someone hurtful today for her true strength and resilience to shine through once again!

Loving yourself means being your own best friend, no matter what happens in life.

Loving yourself means being your own best friend, no matter what happens in life.

Being your own best friend means being kind to yourself.

Being kind to yourself means being honest with yourself.

Being honest with yourself means being honest about your strengths and weaknesses.

Being honest about your strengths and weaknesses means being honest about your goals.

Loving yourself means doing something kind for yourself every single day

Loving yourself is about doing little things for yourself every single day. You deserve to be loved and appreciated, so treat yourself with kindness and respect. Here are some ideas:

• Give yourself a compliment! Compliment your hair, or your new outfit, or how well you got through the day—whatever makes you feel good about yourself.
• Buy flowers for no reason at all except that they brighten up your day.
• Take a bubble bath and enjoy it fully; relax and let the warm water soothe away any stress in your body and mind.
• Buy a new book that looks interesting to read at some point when you have time (and if there's time now, go ahead!). The feeling of having something new waiting in my Amazon cart makes me excited about reading again! Books also make great gifts if anyone else on your list is into reading as much as I am (spoiler alert: I love books).

Loving yourself means spending time with people who make you feel good about yourself and care about you

It is important to spend time with people who make you feel good about yourself and care about you. They can be family, friends, or even teachers. It's important to have someone there who understands what it means to love yourself and will help guide you through the process of learning how to love yourself.

They can also be people who don't understand what it means to love themselves yet, but are willing to learn from others who have already started their journey of self-love. This is important because those around us can help us in many ways such as giving us advice on how they've overcome obstacles in their lives or simply just being there for support during hard times as well as good times!

Loving yourself means treating your body right.

Loving yourself means treating your body right.

That could look like a lot of different things—it could mean eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, taking care of your skin, hair, teeth and nails. It can mean paying attention to your health or mental health or emotional health (or all three!).

If you're trying to eat healthy but don't know how or where to start? No problem! There are tons of amazing resources out there for people who want to learn about nutrition that aren't full of bad science and pseudoscience. One good one is Eat This Not That by Men's Fitness magazine. They also have an app with easy recipes that make cooking at home super simple!

Spending time with people who treat you right is important.

Spending time with people who treat you well is important.

Spend time with people who make you feel good about yourself.

Spend time with people who care about you and your well-being.

Spend time with people who make you laugh, because laughter really is the best medicine!

And lastly, spend time with those who love and respect you for who you are—as an individual human being—and not just in terms of what they can get out of it for themselves.

Loving yourself requires a mix of self-care and self-compassion.

Loving yourself is about giving yourself the care, attention, and nourishment that you want to receive from others. Self-care is an important part of loving yourself because it allows you to feel good about who you are and how you're treating your body. Self-compassion is also an important aspect of loving yourself because it means that even when things aren't going well or when we make mistakes, we should treat ourselves with kindness instead of shame or criticism. We shouldn't feel guilty for things like eating too much ice cream on a Friday night or missing a day at the gym because our boss asked us to work on Saturday; instead we should accept these decisions as part of being human and understand that they don't make us bad people.

Conclusion

Loving yourself is a lifelong process that requires self-care and self-compassion. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it—and it can make all the difference in your life.