As social beings, we all seek validation from the people around us. There’s a constant need for us to be accepted, appreciated, and loved for what we do and how we behave.
This need for acceptance and approval sometimes becomes so high that you tend to forget your self-worth. You start doing things to please others, and if you fail to meet their expectations, you start considering yourself as inferior.
When this happens too often, your confidence level starts shaking, you become demotivated, and you begin to feel dejected and disoriented. This happens because of low self-acceptance, which in turn can break your mental strength and make you feel depressed. Studies reveal that lower self-acceptance can massively affect your psychological and emotional well-being.
That’s why it’s important to learn how to boost self-acceptance and love yourself. So here are 3 powerful ways to validate and love yourself.
1. Stop Comparing
If you really want to love yourself, you have to stop comparing yourself to others. Every individual has something unique about themselves. So focus on what that is instead of comparing yourself to others.
But as human beings, it’s something that comes to us naturally. So a lot of times, you may end up comparing yourself to others even when you have no intention of doing it. So how do you stop doing that?
The best way to stop this habit is to become conscious and be more aware of these thoughts. Notice the times when any such thoughts come to your mind. Then try to stop yourself by counting the blessings in your life.
This will help you acknowledge the good and positive things in your life rather than cribbing about what’s missing. Doing this can act as a game-changer. It will teach you to be more confident about yourself and accept and love who you are.
2. Don’t Let Others Opinion Affect You
Another major reason why you start rejecting yourselves or overlooking your worth is that you think too much about what others may think of you.
As social beings, you definitely have to consider societal norms. But letting this affect your personal life can be dangerous for your mental and emotional well-being. This people-pleasing attitude can only make you forget what you really want in life. As a result, your happiness starts taking the back seat.
Always remember that no one truly knows what perfect actually means. What’s perfect for you may not be perfect for others. And no matter how hard you try to be perfect, people will always have an opinion of their own. But you don’t need their opinions and feedback. So why waste your time trying to please them?
Just remind yourself that it’s your life, and there’s nothing more important than to make yourself happy. Also, not everyone can be perfect. And it’s okay to be imperfect too.
3. Acknowledge Your Strengths
A very effective way of validating and loving yourself is to acknowledge your strengths. You don’t have to be perfect, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have any skills or positive qualities in you.
It’s just a matter of knowing what that skill is. So take a moment to identify them and make a list of those qualities. You might be a great speaker, a singer, a dancer, or anything for that matter. Just acknowledge it and identify these positive qualities about you. Doing this can help you create positive affirmations about yourself and teach you to love and validate yourself.
Achieving self-love or becoming a fan of yourself might not happen in a day or two. This doesn’t mean that you’ll give up trying. Just keep practicing, and you’ll definitely begin to accept and love yourself.