This post is a continuation of last week's article on the importance and difficulties of loving yourself. Catch it here if you missed it!

1. Watch your self-talk.

My psychologist used to call me out on this all the time. Would you talk to a friend the same way you talk to yourself? If a friend spoke to you in the way that you talk to yourself, would they still be your friend?

These are the things you should keep in mind as much as you can when you're engaging in self-talk. It's true that thoughts only have as much power as you give them, but it's like trying to swim against the stream when you're trying to build self-love while viciously berating yourself after every little setback. Believe me, I would know.

What really worked for me is trying to be mindful. It's easier to catch yourself before things take a turn for the worse when you already have practice focusing on the present moment. I would recommend yoga, meditation, or even just taking a 10-minute social media break and sitting with your thoughts.

2. Tell other people your secrets.

You know that ridiculous pipe dream you have about becoming a psychologist and starting a mental health blog that you plan to shove in everyone's face? The one that motivates you to drag yourself to 8 am classes three times a week and drives you to follow mental health bloggers on social media?

The one that embarrasses you because you think other people's goals loftier than yours and you're just an idealistic adult in way over her head?

Find three people you trust and tell them about it. I did this in group therapy a month or so ago, and it was a game-changer. Suddenly, one of my deepest, intrinsic goals wasn't stupid anymore. I became valid in a whole new way that went way beyond skin-deep and my self-critic took a major blow. More on that in the next point.

3. Learn how to fight your inner self-critic.

How can you best counter that pesky inner voice? Logic? Savage roasting? Telling it to shut up? A combination of all three and more? (Me.)

Whatever you do, I highly recommend you start off by writing down the negative thought and immediately coming up with a counter to it. I first learned this tactic somewhere within this book and I highly recommend reading it because you can learn a lot about yourself (and potentially other people) from it.

4. Go easy on yourself.

I will start out by openly calling myself out on this one. I'm very hard on myself because I fear that I won't perform adequately otherwise. It stems from a lack of trust in my own capabilities and conviction which is ironic because I'm one of the most passionate people I know. But I digress!

The main point I want to make is it's okay to just be average. You don't have to be the world's best anything no matter what anyone or anything says. You're allowed to struggle, be weak and vulnerable, make mistakes and even fail. None of these things mean you deserve to be punished. They're a byproduct of the human condition.

5. Stop comparing yourself to other people.

I know, I know, easier said than done, but it's so important. Just a few points up, I revealed how I was comparing one of my biggest life goals to other people (even if I didn't actually know their goals) and it was really damaging. I'm already a shy and introverted person and I wasn't doing myself any favors by convincing myself that my dreams are foolish and wrong.

I think a great way to stop comparing yourself is by lifting up other people. Find reasons to compliment people around you even if you don't say them out loud. Because eventually you'll realize that people are pretty amazing and you're a person who's pretty amazing too.

6. Build a loving community.

Positivity is kind of contagious. It's easier to love yourself when the people around you love you for who you are too. Because they clearly see something good about you so, by extension, you can too. The nice thing about this one is you don't have to particularly love yourself for it to work.

I had wonderful friends way before I had a healthy amount of self-esteem and they didn't fix my problems, but they helped me keep afloat.