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5 Tips to Love Yourself

By Ananya Sarkar, Kolkata, India

Self-love is of paramount importance. Guess why? It’s because only when you feel fulfilled by yourself, can you truly lead a cherished and purposeful life. There may be disappointments in life and people will often tend to, knowingly or unknowingly, drag your self-esteem. However, if you love yourself and feel confident of your self-worth, you will be able to tackle all debacles more easily.

Being kind to yourself also keeps you motivated and positive. When you value and encourage yourself constantly, it drives you to achieve goals. It really doesn’t matter what others say, as you are your own supporter! So, here are some tips to give yourself that much-needed love:

Do Things You Love

Try to spend some time every day indulging in some constructive activity that you love. This could be your hobby such as gardening, trying out new recipes or clay modelling. Devoting a certain period of time to your cherished activity helps boost your spirit and create a happy mood. If it is not possible to do this every day, you could go for it in the weekends. A regular engagement in the thing(s) that make you happy will make you feel contented and secure.

2. Woo Yourself

Yes, before anyone woos you or irrespective of who woos you, you need to do it for yourself. This means that you should never stop showering attention on yourself. Take yourself out for a movie or a treat. Pamper yourself with a beauty treatment or a massage at a spa. Go out shopping (or window shopping) by yourself. Travel solo. The list could go on and on. The point is that you need to make yourself feel cherished by your closest friend – you! No matter what, never take yourself for granted.

3. Be Generous

Engage in charitable acts or volunteer for work in charitable organisations. You may want to make a donation or gift something in kind to institutes/groups involved in social work. You could also give your time to those less privileged than you. This could be teaching children in slums, conversing with the elderly in old age homes or assisting differently-abled persons in their day-to-day life. Joining a social cause such as the demand for equal rights for genetically aberrant people (giants and dwarfs) or HIV-positive children can also be on the agenda. When you help people in whatever way you can, your self-esteem gets a boost. This, in turn, makes you feel wanted and loved.

4. Count Your Blessings

Make it a point to count your blessings at the beginning of each day or before you go to bed. When you do this, you remind yourself of how lucky you are. This makes you realise the value of the privileges that you have received in life. Nothing is taken for granted. Also, it keeps your focus on the blessings rather than any loss or regret. No matter how tough life gets, there are always things to be thankful for. These could be simple such as having your vision or getting food to eat. It is easy to miss how important these things are, but counting your blessings makes you feel loved and grateful.

5. Listen to Lively Songs/Music

One of the key ways to love yourself is keep yourself happy. It has been generally observed that a song or piece of music that is slow-paced tends to make you feel emotional and nostalgic. While being emotional is not bad, getting carried away by your emotions frequently can ruin your peace of mind. Hence, it is a good idea to tune in to rhythmic songs or music, which are/is sprightly and enthusiastic. If the lyrics of such a kind of song are motivational and inspiring, it is all the better! For example, Yves Larock’s “Rise Up” or Natasha Bedingfield’s “Pocketful of Sunshine” are great songs to keep you happy and resilient. There are plenty of such songs in other languages for you to choose.

Self-love is not a luxury. It is healthy and necessary to conquer all the oddities in life. As Louise Hay, the American motivational author aptly said, “Loving ourselves works miracles in our lives”.

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