Life can seem like it runs a mile a minute. Technology adds to this delusion, and it can create a façade that causes us to feel dispirited.
Studies have shown that usage of a particular social media site (most notable for posting photos) can cause heightened rates of depression. This post wasn’t written to discourage social media use, because it’s nearly impossible to avoid it in today’s day and age. Instead, it was written to help you love yourself better, to equip you with the necessary confidence that will leave you less likely to succumb to the fear of missing out, and other anxieties that everyday life and social media can bring.
1. Acknowledge your strengths.
There’s the phrase: “To know them is to love them.” It’s typically used in a comical context, but there is something to be gained from it to build your self-worth.
Everyone does something that allows them to thrive; maybe it’s a passion, a hobby, or a calling, but there is bound to be something that you are insanely talented in. Maybe the activity isn’t something that is commonly praised or acknowledged, but that is besides the point. The person whose opinion that matters the most is yours. If it is something you love, that is a starting place.
2. Everything that makes you who you are.
Everyone has things that are unique to them. Things that diversify the world and make an individual unique.
Think about the things that are special to you, the things that perfectly come together in order to craft you into the individual that you are. Whether it be your culture, your hometown, or the path you have trekked in life to get where you are. These are all things to take pride in.
Also, acknowledge the past. Your ancestors and the events that transpired to create you. You likely carry traits of relatives who would be disheartened, knowing there were parts about yourself that you are unhappy with. Knowing what came before you can allow self-love to permeate.
3. You are your only competition
Most of our self-dissatisfaction stems from comparison. It is all too easy to go online and instantly belittle ourselves for the outfits we don’t have, vacations we didn’t go on, or music festivals we missed out on.
Comparison is a venom and it is important to remember that everyone is living different lives, and what we see online is only a portion of that picture. The danger lies in the fact that everyone is capable of creating caricatures of themselves and their best lives when reality might be completely contradictory.
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Remember that everyone hits different milestones at different points. What should be the most important is whether or not you are meeting your personal goals. When you wake up every day and work on becoming the best you that you can be, you deserve to love yourself for that, even on the worst days.
Reflect & Refresh 