Written by: Hannah Kim
Artwork by: Juna Hong
“Self-love is the best love”—you have probably heard this quote several times before. The message is quite straightforward: that you should love and appreciate yourself more. However, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Thoughts like “I won’t be able to do a good job anyway” or “I won’t be any help” easily flood our minds. And once you drown in them, confidence drops and self-hate takes place of self-love. But if you really want to improve yourself and become a better person, you need to fight these negative thoughts to raise your confidence again. Here are 3 things you can do every day to develop a more positive and confident perspective towards yourself.
Stop comparing yourself to other people
Confidence drops easily when you start comparing your body or ability to those of your friends and media influencers. While it is natural for humans to compare themselves and feel envious of others, remember that this does not help you at all. According to Verywell Mind, remind yourself of your strengths, successes, and moments of gratitude. Doing so can help you appreciate and focus on your life. In addition, it also helps to talk about your feelings with people who are experiencing similar problems as you. Gaining support from other people could increase your confidence and love for yourself.
Set up goals and aim to accomplish them
One way to build your confidence is by accomplishing small or large goals. To do this, you can set up daily goals and try to achieve them all. At the end of the day, when you see how much you were able to do, you will be able to recognize your abilities and have better control over your life. However, remember that this change won’t happen overnight. This will be a gradual process that requires you to stay consistent.
Stick to the facts
It’s hard to stop the negative thoughts from creeping into your mind, especially when you already don’t have enough confidence in yourself. While there’s no practical solution to stop you from thinking negatively, Self suggests a method of debunking the negative thoughts with facts. When the thought of “I’m not good enough” starts emerging, think of how much effort you put into it, the times you succeeded before, and even times when you received compliments from other people. Even just a small moment that may seem insignificant is good enough to chase away the bad thoughts. Only when you have a healthy mind can you improve yourself.
Talk positively to yourself
The last thing you should try to do every day to increase your self-love is by talking positively to yourself and those around you. Positive words have the power to lift your mood and overcome doubts. And by practicing positivity with other people, you are able to feel proud of yourself for making their day better. This naturally creates a positive environment around you, which is a great way to learn how to love yourself.
Works cited
Bridges, Frances. “10 Ways to Build Confidence.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 10 Dec. 2021, https://www.forbes.com/sites/francesbridges/2017/07/21/10-ways-to-build-confidence/?sh=48616c8b3c59.
Campbell, Leah. “How to Love Yourself More: 33 Self-Care Tips.” Psych Central, Psych Central, 21 May 2021, https://psychcentral.com/blog/ways-to-love-yourself-more.
McCracken, Amanda. “How to (Actually) Love Yourself, According to Experts.” SELF, 4 Mar. 2022, https://www.self.com/story/how-to-love-yourself.
Morin, Amy. “6 Ways to Start Boosting Your Self-Confidence Today.” Verywell Mind, 14 Feb. 2022, https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-boost-your-self-confidence-4163098.
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