Loving yourself is a process that will never stop. You will always have tough times, but when you try to love yourself like you have always deserved... it will get easier.
1. It's not that easy.
Loving yourself is much more than liking what you see in the mirror. It's hard to imagine a “you” behind the physical aspect. But to love yourself, it needs to be every part of you, from your face to your toes, from your bad habits to your sweetest moments. A lot of people think they love themselves but are constantly putting themselves down. To really love yourself, you have to try to love your thoughts, your emotions, your body, your face and everything in between.
2. Nope. Still not easy.
Love comes from acceptance. We know our best friends, our brothers and sisters, and yes, even our dear moms and dads can have some bad moments. They get angry; they get irrational. Sometimes, they can be just plain mean. So can we, let's admit it. Yet we love them, and we don't love them less for their flaws. We love them more because we can relate. Why is loving ourselves so different?
3. In fact, you can even say it’s hard.
Yes, you should not have yelled at that boy. No, you should not take that poor lady’s parking spot before she can. But you did, and you will do it again. It's okay. You are not the sum of your selfish moments. When you look back at your misgivings - and believe me, you will - try to remember two good things you've done for every bad you've done. If you really can't find any good you've done? Go make some.
4. It can take a while.
Baby steps. Remind yourself of your good deeds. Do good deeds. Be warned; it's not going to happen overnight; you won't wake up one day and be filled with adoration for yourself. Keep trying. Admit your faults. It sounds counterproductive, but own up to it. Own up to your negative and positive traits. Yes, you're messy, but you can cook a damn good steak. Yes, you're clumsier than a one-legged giraffe, but you can light up a person's day from just one smile. No one else has the wildly diverse smorgasbord of traits that you do.
5. You won't notice until you do.
By giving yourself negativity and hate, you've let a fog creep over your vision every time you look or think of yourself. When you start to actively look for your positive traits, embrace your mistakes as experiences that will only enrich you, and compliment yourself every day. The fog will lift. As long as you keep trying, the mist will keep receding. You won't even notice how clearly you see yourself…until you do. Until you find yourself laughing when you left the shower on for three hours, blushing and thanking those who compliment you instead of denying them, and remembering all those wonderful things you've done.
You're such a wonderful crazy assortment of things, there's nothing you can do to outweigh the great things you deserve. Treat yourself to love. Splurge on that dress that shows your calf muscles that you love, smile at yourself when your hair is a birds nest. You know your best friend would love you like that - so why shouldn't you?
Every day may be a battle. Many days are uphill battles. But you can make them and win.
