Do You Like Yourself? | 10 Ways to Like Yourself More (And Why You Should)

Nowadays, we’re all hyper-connected with each other and because of this hyper-connection, it’s easy to fall into a trap of self-criticism and self-doubt. When I see my peers going through life’s success, I feel stuck; and because of this, it’s easy to second guess myself and keep my self-esteem strong.

Before you get to self-love, it’s important to cultivate a sense of love for yourself. Learning how to like yourself can be a tough thing because while it’s easy to see yourself as a person, it can be hard to like yourself for who you really are. To like yourself, you need to accept yourself as you are – flaws, weaknesses, doubts, and all.

With too much at stake, liking yourself can be a complicated process. Moreover, the ever-present social media can make it even more challenging to like yourself. Because it’s not just our physical appearance that might cause us to dislike ourselves, but the emotional and mental critique that we subject ourselves to can play a huge role too.

So, my question to you today is; “Do you like yourself?” If your answer is no, then I have a guide for you that will help you like yourself more each day until you become confident in your skin once more!

Why Do You Dislike Yourself?

Some people don’t exactly dislike their physical appearance and attributes, but their dislike may come from another place such as having a chronic condition or a physical disability. I have been diagnosed with some health conditions too and sometimes when I feel particularly insecure, I dislike looking at myself in the mirror. Now, these are just my reasons, but there are others whose self-hatred might go deeper than having just a few physical conditions.

Some other reasons you might dislike yourself might include;

• Not being able to meet your goals as you like
• Not being able to find a good relationship
• Not being able to work through past trauma and negative experiences
• Not being able to forgive yourself

Sometimes, it could be your inner critical voice that can make you dislike yourself. Negative thinking and hurtful comments from others can affect your self-image and self-perception, causing you to dislike yourself.

Why Is It So Hard to Like Yourself?

We’re often taught that we need external validation to make us feel good about ourselves and even worthy of ourselves. This need can often make it challenging to find inner value and like yourself for who you are beyond external achievements and validation.

Other times, liking yourself means embracing your flaws, mistakes, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities. When you feel insecure then the fear of judgment or rejection can overpower you and make you dislike yourself a little more. This can also stop you from being your true self, even with yourself.

If there have been leftover emotional scars caused by trauma, failures, and past rejections, then it can also become a reason for you to dislike yourself. You may find it hard to forgive yourself for things that are not your fault. Letting go of these emotional scars is, after all, important for self-acceptance and self-growth. Not doing so can keep you from appreciating yourself and liking yourself as you should.

How to Like Yourself More?

1.Do More Self-Care

Did you know that regular exercising and eating a healthy diet can help improve your overall health and well-being? Well, one of the ways you can like yourself more is by paying attention to your health and this includes regularly exercising and eating healthily. You can start by setting a goal of 1–3 hours of exercise every week or try exercises such as yoga, cardio, cycling, etc. When doing this, make sure you pay attention to how you dress. To feel confident, you need to dress confidently.

2.Find Your Strengths

It’s easier to focus on your weaknesses and flaws when you dislike yourself. So, to counter this thought, you need to find and focus on your strengths. Thinking about your strengths can bring positivity and make you feel better about yourself. If you can’t focus on your strengths naturally, then try some journaling. You can make a list of things you like about yourself as well or you can call a friend and talk to them about your strengths.

3.Be Grateful

Another way to like yourself is to practice gratitude. When you practice gratitude, you learn to focus on the positives in your life instead of thinking about how your life could’ve been different. You pay attention to the now. To practice gratitude, you can think of the ways you care for yourself every day. If you can’t find things to be grateful for, just be grateful for the breath you take, the body you move, the food you eat, etc. These little moments of gratitude can make you like yourself a little more.

4.Monitor Social Media Use

Another trap we all fall into is comparison and this comparison is one of the things that make us dislike ourselves. To combat this, you can monitor your social media use and stop comparing yourself to others. Others’ life highlights might seem tempting, but behind those highlights, you never know the struggle. So, if you find yourself falling into this trap, then consider limiting your social media use.

5.Be Kind – To Others And Yourself

To like yourself more, learn to be kind to yourself along with others. This simple act of kindness towards oneself can also help you make you like yourself. Acts of kindness can also improve your self-confidence and self-worth. Being unkind towards others and yourself can lower your self-image and can contribute to you disliking yourself.

6.Be Around Positive People

When you choose to spend time with critics, it can make your self-esteem go down and make you feel negative about yourself. Negative and toxic people can also alter your self-perception and make you feel unworthy. Alternatively, when you spend time with positive people, who support and encourage you, then you can focus on your strengths, even if they provide constructive criticism. You know, with them, you can be better as they want to see the best of you, in the end.

7.Don’t Compare Yourself to Others

Comparison is a trap that can end up diminishing your self-worth and confidence. You need to stop making comparisons to like yourself more. The moment you notice that you’ve begun comparing yourself to others, remind yourself that others’ successes are not a reflection of your failures. Just because they are choosing to show highlights of their lives, doesn’t mean that there have been no struggles either.

8.Change Your Self-Talk

Another way you can like yourself more is to change your self-talk. The way you talk to yourself can feed how you feel about yourself. If you talk down to yourself, then it can sow the seed of self-hatred and self-dislike sow. However, when you talk to yourself with positive words and encouragement, you remind yourself that you’re good, worthy, and deserving of love from everyone, including yourself.

9.List Your Good Qualities

We all have some good qualities in us but we choose to ignore them in favor of our flaws. To like yourself, you need to work on listing your good qualities first. There are always things that you wish you could change about yourself, but there are still some qualities that make you…you and can’t be changed. List them! You can journal, talk to your loved one, or reach out to a therapist to help you in this regard.

10.Seek Support

A therapist can help you identify the negative thoughts and habits that keep you from liking yourself. Talking to a therapist can help you develop healthy coping methods to reduce stress and focus more on the positive aspects of your life. If you’re unsure where to start, you can click the link below to connect with a therapist today.

Wrapping Up

Learning to like yourself is a journey wrought with patience, practice, and self-reflection. When you understand why you don’t like yourself, you can figure out how to combat those causes and foster self-like. Despite what others may think, it is possible to break free from self-criticism and become a version of yourself that you like and can eventually love.

Don’t feel discouraged if things don’t pan out the way you’d like them to. Just keep working on small changes. After all, baby steps are better than no steps. With the tips mentioned above, I hope you can find the best way you can learn to like yourself more each day and accept yourself for who you are.

So, do you like yourself? Let me know the answer to the question in the comments below. You can also share other ways you can like yourself more in the section below.

You deserve love and that can be easy with self-compassion and positive thinking!

Take care!