One of the major parts of growing up, and an essential you must accomplish in terms of development, is learning to love yourself. It’s difficult to be successful if you cannot love yourself and have faith and confidence in what you do. Learning to love yourself is a slow process, does not happen overnight, and is something no one can really teach you. Ultimately learning to love yourself is a journey you need to take on your own, but it can be difficult to find a place to start this journey, so here are some tips that I have found that have helped me on this journey.

1. Surround Yourself With Good, Loving People

If you are not around people who love you, how are you going to be able to love yourself? You need to surround yourself with people who find value in you and can remind you how incredible you are when you forget.

2. Set Goals

Setting goals, both long and short-term, will keep you focused on what you want to do in life, and each time you complete one you are rewarded with the sensation of accomplishment. These accomplishments will give you a reason to be proud of yourself, thus allowing you to love yourself.

3. Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

When you feel good physically, it will put you in a better mindset and can help make you feel more confident. In this case, a healthy body does not mean you have to be at your physical peak, but it more so involves making sure that you are taking care of your body so you can feel good in your own skin. Loving your body and physical appearance is an important part of loving yourself.

4. Have A Job/ Major You Enjoy

When you are working a job or studying a major you love, you will be so much more passionate about what you are doing and will accomplish more. As mentioned earlier, when you accomplish more, it does more for you feeling of self-worth and pride.

5. Try Not To Compare Yourself So Much

This is a really hard one, but the minute you stop thinking there is someone prettier, funnier, smarter, or more personable in the room, the better you will feel. More importantly, stop comparing yourself to celebrities! It’s fine to have these people as role models because a lot are genuinely good people; however, you also have to remember that they have a whole team of people working behind the scenes to make them appear perfect.

6. Be Positive

This is another one that is easier said than done because changing a mindset can be difficult. However, when you are always looking at things in a negative light, you are going to end up blaming yourself for everything and continuously focusing on your flaws. When you are able to switch to a positive outlook, you will find it a lot easier to laugh off mistakes and not be so hard on yourself.