It is not difficult to love yourself as long as you do not have any hindering and negative messages racing through your subconscious mind. These messages that you have going through your mind are messages that are trapped there since you were a little child. Your thinking is very much influenced by your past, by the words your parents have spoken, and everything that you had heard from others when you were growing up.

Most time you’ve heard something negative about you being as good as nothing, worthless, or even being called weird or stupid affects you up till now. The problem comes up because, in one way or the other when you heard that negative thoughts, you imagine them to be a reality even if you do not want.

You can easily rotate things to overcome these negative beliefs and replace them with positive and empowering messages instead. Below are a few strategies you can apply to begin your journey to learn how to love yourself:

1) Take care of yourself. Let us compare this to a love affair. If you are in love with someone, you devote a lot of time, attention and affection to the one you love. Why not has a love affair with yourself? Focus on you – and treat yourself like royalty. Do the things that gladden your heart. Call yourself beautiful and smart. Give yourself a hug. Treat yourself to your favourite things. Spend some quality “you” time – you deserve it.

2) Go back in time and discover your convictions. You may have some negative beliefs holding you back. The easiest way to change this is by allowing yourself to answer some questions. How did your parents treat you? Has someone ever belittled or embarrassed you in front of others? How did your friends or sibling’s attitude towards you make you feel? Did you ever feel less than others in school? You can write your answers in a journal. The idea is to go back in time and find out when and where these negative thoughts started. Then, once you have narrowed down the negative belief and when they commenced, figure out whether these beliefs are true. Have a thorough thinking – were they once true? Is there a means of turning these around into positive ones? Replace the negative beliefs with positive beliefs and continue to focus on that and stay positive. Before you know it, there will be a new and improved you.

3) Place more importance on your good qualities. The moment your self-esteem is low, you’ll find yourself dwelling in thoughts like “what’s wrong with you” and thereby ignoring the positives. Stop the negative talk and replace it with positive self-talk. Heap praises and encourage yourself when you accomplish something. It can be as simple as saying something like, “Wow, I’m so proud of myself for doing my very best and not giving up. I did a fantastic job.” Make positive self-talk a daily habit.

You can also start reciting Affirmations like “I am a very important person. I have a lot of wisdom to share. I am attractive, successful and smart.” The more you regularly recite your affirmation, the easier it will be for you to believe it and start loving yourself more!

Love to know your thoughts,

Always with love,

Devika