I spent a very large part of my life hating myself- in fact
to this day, I still have days where I can’t stand to look in the mirror. It’s
not even solely about my appearance, to an extent that would be easier to deal
with; it’s also about me as a person; I have always found myself annoying,
vain, selfish and simply an unlikeable/ undesirable person.
However one of my main goals to accomplish while I’m
seventeen is to learn to love myself- considerably the most important lesson a
girl needs to learn before she grows up. I am aware that there is still a far
way to go before I truly reach self- assurance, however I have noticed a
massive change in myself due to the changes I’ve made and hope maybe they will
help you to begin this same journey. So here we go...
1. 1) Eat right- and by this I don’t mean live on kale
and cook everything in coconut oil, although both of those things are a part of
it. Take care of yourself and eat healthily and sensibly, don’t eat right
before going to bed and choose a salad over pasta every now and then. But then
also let yourself eat a bowl of ice-cream with the X-Factor or eat a pizza at a
sleepover. The key is to neither restrict or over indulge; you don’t have to
deny yourself what you enjoy, because that’s just as bad as eating it all the
time. Just listen to what your body needs and then on the occasions it wants a
treat, let it have one- just don’t take the treat too far.
2. 2) Exercise- you don’t have to run a marathon but
just choosing to walk to school once or twice a week will ultimately make you
feel better. The exercise will release endorphins which are the happy
chemicals- just look at Mo Farah, he’s always smiling.
3. 3) Date yourself. This may sound sad at first but
dating myself is the best idea I’ve ever had. You don’t necessarily have to
take yourself on a candlelit dinner to achieve this; just have lunch alone
every once in a while or take half an hour a day to really think and get to
know yourself without any distractions. I especially like to go shopping alone
and then grab lunch at a coffee shop- there’s something therapeutic about
reading a book to the smell of freshly ground coffee.
4. 4) Give
yourself credit. This is one I’m still trying to master but so far I have
learned that there is a massive difference between humility and
self-depreciation however it is a line easily crossed. Be proud of your accomplishments
and relish in the praise, just give credit where it’s due.
5. 5) Treat yourself. Slightly different to food but
in the same vein. One of my best investments is pretty underwear- it just makes
me feel good about myself even though no-one can see it. Whether your thing is
makeup, clothes or even something completely unrelated- just find something
that makes you feel confident and invest in it.
6. 6) Be honest with yourself. If that means admitting
your favourite jeans are too small now or that you could have tried harder on
the test- being honest with yourself just allows you to create goals for you to
achieve that will be rewarded with a feeling of pride and general happiness.
7.
7) Surround yourself with good people. Remove
negative energy and surround yourself with love and eventually the love they
have for you will catch on to you. Friends and family are a priceless resource
that will change your whole perspective, choose wisely and they will cause you
to forget all of your unhealthy inhibitions and insecurities.
8. 8) Capture the good memories. Whether you keep a
diary, take endless photos or make a playlist for every occasion, just find
something that allows you to revisit the happier times on your bad days.
9.
9) Find a hobby- having something productive to
occupy your time when you feel like shit will always help to pull you out of a
bad mood. How can you feel insignificant, talentless or worthless when you just crocheted an Eeyore?
And finally, the most important lesson of all- embrace the
bad days. You’re stuck with them so use them to your advantage; find what makes
you feel bad and fix the problem, whether that means changing your lifestyle,
job or bad relationship and if the bad feelings don’t change, use them to your
advantage until they do, some of the world’s greatest creations were born from
the worst of experiences.