Learning to love yourself is no easy journey, but luckily, there are many steps that I have learned over the past year that have helped me immensely.
I have gone through a transformation, and by the end of last year, I can proudly say that I truly love myself and the person I’ve become. Based on my experience, I have a lot of advice that has come out of this.
One of the biggest things that has helped me is allowing myself to be more expressive without the fear of judgment. Last summer, I explored self-love. I believe that summer is the best time to do so because there is less pressure on you from your peers at school.
Some of my creativity was shown through my clothing and makeup. I started looking into different styles and types of clothing in order to see which ones made me feel the most comfortable, confident, and overall good about myself. You also have to be open to failure and embrace that you might not like everything you try, which is good because you can learn and adapt from those lessons.
I did the same with makeup. When I began to experiment with more fun colors and creative designs, I found my love for them. Attaining your desired appearance might involve bold makeup or no makeup at all. It’s a great way to see what you like and what makes you feel good.
Along with this exploration, it is also beneficial to have a strong and supportive friend group who will hype you up and assist you through your journey. Having friends to cheer you on and compliment you will help you feel better about yourself, and it will lead to you feeling the same even without that reassurance.
Building your own confidence is the hardest part of learning to love yourself. And, while overused, the phrase “fake it till you make it” truly applies. The thing about confidence that I have noticed is that nobody knows if it is real or not. Even if you don’t currently feel that confidence, if you show it (even if it’s fake), eventually, it will become real.
A great way to help grow your confidence is doing daily affirmations. Often, it can feel sort of dumb or useless, but again, eventually, you will start believing it more and more. You can do this by looking at yourself in a mirror and stating things you like about yourself, or, if that doesn’t float your boat, you can also simply write them in a journal.
You also have to accept that this will be a process and is not something that will happen overnight. Growth takes time, and you have to be patient with yourself—small progress is still progress. And, remember, you’re learning, so it’s okay if it takes time.
The last piece of advice that I have is to remember that, a majority of the time, people are so consumed with themselves that they rarely think about you. At the end of the day, you are the one person who you will always be able to rely on throughout your whole life, so it is important to love yourself and accept who you are.
