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Loving yourself and liking yourself may seem similar, but they actually have different meanings.
What’s the difference?
Liking yourself is having a positive view of yourself, your personality traits, strengths, abilities, and the things you do.
It is about appreciating and accepting yourself as you are and recognizing your worth and value as an individual.
On the other hand, loving yourself goes beyond just liking yourself.
It involves practicing self-care and showing empathy, kindness, and compassion to yourself.
It means taking care of your physical, emotional, and mental health and treating yourself with the same love and respect that you would give to someone you care for deeply.
It’s not just about accepting your flaws and imperfections but also nurturing a positive relationship with yourself.
Learning to like yourself can be a difficult journey, but it’s an important one. Here are some tips to help you along.
By the way – an expanded version of this and a worksheet is available in the custom workbook I provide for 1 to 1 clients.
Self-compassion is a great place to begin
One of the most important things you can do to learn to like yourself is to practice self-compassion. Self-compassion means treating yourself with the same kindness, concern, and understanding that you would offer to a good friend who is going through a difficult time.
When you’re struggling or feeling down on yourself, try to talk to yourself as you would to a friend.
When you’re struggling or feeling down on yourself, try to talk to yourself as you would to a friend.
An example of a self-compassionate phrase is, “Of course I make mistakes. I’m human. I’m doing the best I can with what I have.” Repeat these words to yourself whenever you need a little extra self-compassion.
What’s that you said to yourself?
We all have negative self-talk from time to time, but it’s important to challenge those thoughts and replace them with more positive, realistic ones. Negative self-talk can hold you back and make it difficult to like yourself.
For example, if you think “I’m not good enough,” challenge that thought with evidence of times when you were successful.
Self-Care is high priority
Self-care for your body is important for learning to like yourself. When you take care of yourself, you show yourself that you are worth the time and effort it takes to be healthy and happy.
Things like exercising, eating healthy, getting enough sleep, spending time with friends and family, and engaging in hobbies you enjoy. Choose one thing from your list to focus on each day.
Making gratitude a habit
I’m a fan of writing down what I’m grateful for each day. Focusing on the good things in your life can help you learn to like yourself. Gratitude can help you shift your focus from what you don’t have to what you do have.
Take your wins where you can get them. Celebrate your successes, no matter how small they may seem. Celebrating your successes can help you build confidence and learn to like yourself. Baby-steps count.
There are endless opportunities to extend kindness and care for yourself – when you make a point of looking for them.
