SIGNS THAT YOU LOVE YOURSELF

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Let me begin by asking you a question: Do you love yourself?

If you are experiencing a hard time accepting your flaws, or you constantly want to present yourself according to other people’s expectations of you, you’re not alone.

Since childhood, many of us have been conditioned to be people-pleasers and base our worth on others’ perceptions of us. Such conditioning plays a significant role in influencing our relationships with ourselves.

We tend to become dependent on others to recognize our potential. A small compliment would mean the world to us, but a small criticism would shatter all our confidence. Have you ever experienced that?

Self-love is also portrayed as hostile and selfish, but it’s the opposite. On days when you feel unloved, you need to be your biggest cheerleader.

Loving oneself can also be taken the wrong way. It doesn’t mean indulging in everything you like and everything you want even when you know that it’s not contributing to your well-being.

Once you start practicing self-love, you will start experiencing positive shifts in all areas of your life. Many of you must have experienced positive shifts.

Just because it’s a practice, we tend to ignore it because we’re too busy with life and relationships. But believe me, self-love is empowering. You don’t have to go too far to prove you love yourself.

Some basic actions you may be taking in your daily lives are indeed acts of self-love. Some of the signs that you are on the journey of self-love are:

Table of Contents

You are self-aware

Becoming self-aware is the first step to loving yourself. You can become self-aware by recognizing your priorities and needs.

You will love yourself better if you are aware of your thoughts and feelings, your beliefs and values, and your needs and priorities. Allow yourself to reflect on your life and the lessons you’ve learned from it.

Many of us struggle to meet our needs as we tend to prioritize other people’s needs before us. Of course, I’ve grown up and still watch my mother tending to the needs of everyone else first, and then if she has time, she takes some time out for herself.

You may have memorized the lists of likes and dislikes of the people you love, how often do you cater to your own lists of likes and dislikes? What are your dreams and do you believe that you have the power to achieve your dreams?

The first sign of loving yourself is being aware of who you are and the person you want to become. So, if you still struggle with identifying your dreams, desires, needs, and priorities, I suggest you make an effort to know yourself.

Here are Powerful Positive Affirmation s to enhance Self-awareness.

You do not compare your life with others

Not comparing your life to others is indeed quite difficult considering the amount of access we have to other people’s life events on social media.

It’s important to remember that each human has unique journeys and life circumstances. While you may be inspired by someone’s journey, considering yourself inadequate in comparison to someone else’s life is an act of self-loathing.

We do not know behind the scenes of every rosy picture we see on social media. So, a person who loves oneself is focused on his/her journey alone irrespective of what others have achieved.

This act of comparing can be traced back to our childhood when we as kids were often compared to other kids. We are conditioned to see our lives in comparison to someone else’s life.

So, what if someone you know has a high-paying job or has gone on a world tour? These events are not for you to lament. Instead, remind yourself to be grateful for all the good things in your life and for the will to work towards creating a better life for yourself.

You are okay with saying no

Saying no to things that no longer serve your well-being is an essential sign of loving yourself. For some, saying no to people and to pleasures is difficult.

I have been working on this trait of mine. Greg McKeown in his book Essentialism talks about avoiding the impulsive yes to everything that comes up to you. It is indeed an act of chalking out the essentials and avoiding getting lost in the myriad of demands that do not fully serve your well-being but actually drain us.

Instead of saying yes to every want, distraction, and request of people around you, the practice of saying no will help you set healthy boundaries.

The idea is not to say no to everything but to save you from saying yes impulsively to everything that comes up. Take some time to ponder the demands and analyze whether it is absolutely necessary.

You no longer seek validation

Honestly, all of us enjoy a little appreciation from others. It would mean so much if we received positive feedback for our work; it boosts our confidence.

The problem is when we depend on validation to determine our self-worth. Of course, it hurts when people we look up to or our loved ones do not appreciate us. But that doesn’t mean we are worthless or inadequate.

Not seeking validation is liberating yourself from the cage of what other people think. If you are always concerned about what other people will think, every step you take in life will be to please others.

To love yourself also means to accept yourself. Do not let the need for validation keep you from being your true self.

This Might Help: Affirmations to Help You Build Confidence

You take care of yourself

Taking care of your mind or body and its well-being each day is an act of self-love.

When you are aware of your needs and priorities, you are naturally willing to take responsibility for yourself. The simple subtle ways of taking care of the self in the form of exercise or eating healthy will profoundly affect your well-being.

I know it’s easier to betray our commitments to ourselves than to betray our commitments to others. We can absolutely take small steps each day to prioritize self-care.

You cultivate your interests

When you love yourself you carve out time to engage in your activities of interest. You allow yourself to cultivate your hobbies and interests that bring you joy and fulfillment.

Scheduling a certain amount of time for your personal interests whether it is gardening or writing or dancing will promote your well-being.

My mother is fond of plants and spends a good amount of time each week tending to her plants. Listening to your passions and interests will kindle a sense of joy and fulfillment.

Working on our passions is a stress reliever in itself and it recharges our energy. It is indeed a powerful way to enhance your love for yourself.

Loving yourself is a journey to build a better version of yourself. It doesn’t mean you stop loving everyone else and be mean to others.

You become resilient in the face of challenges and more confident about yourself when you practice self-love. Many of the readers must have experienced the power of self-love.

To love yourself is not an easy process but you can master it by taking small steps. It requires you to be self-reflective and accepting of your strengths and weaknesses.

I am on my journey of self-love, though I may not fulfill all the signs that are mentioned above but I have pledged to embark on this journey of self-discovery and self-love.