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Most psychologists agree that loving and being loved is crucial to happiness. Often, though, we overlook the love we should have for ourselves, which ultimately sets the foundation for all other relationships.
Self-love is not the same as being narcissistic or selfish. It’s about self-esteem and being less critical of yourself and your mistakes.
Here are five tips for cultivating self-love:
- Be compassionate with yourself. Work on eliminating self-criticism. Imagine what you’d say to a friend in the same situation.
- Enjoy time alone. Learn to enjoy your own company by taking a walk, going out for a meal or seeing a movie.
- List the things you like about yourself. Too often, we get caught-up in thinking about what we don’t like about ourselves. Take time to recognize and appreciate your positive qualities.
- Celebrate your accomplishments. No matter how big or small our successes, it’s important to feel worthy of celebrating them. It reinforces our acknowledgement and integration of positive qualities.
- Ask for help. We all need it when life gets challenging. Allow yourself to seek help from a trusted friend or professional.
