5 Reasons to Love Yourself
It is far easier to love someone else than to love yourself, in my opinion. But it is crucially important that we give the same love to ourselves that we give to others. This article may come off as a bit conceited, but I promise that is not the intent. The whole point is to put aside our self-destructive, non-useful (unuseful?) thoughts of ourselves, and remind us to give ourselves the love we deserve.
I am beautiful
Yes, I am a male, and no, I do not think there is anything wrong with a male being beautiful. And I don’t mean this in the narcissistic sense, either. I mean that in the sense that no matter my supposed blemishes and faults, I am still beautiful. We all are born with differences, and those differences help create the beauty that is ourselves. It’s often hard to look past those “blemishes” and accept them as part of yourself.
One great way to do this is to practice daily self-affirmations. They may seem silly, but repeating positive messages to yourself in the mirror really does work.
I am unique
I don’t know another soul quite like me. Sure there are people who talk like me, look like me, and probably even act a little like me. But I promise that there is not a single person in this world who is the same as me, other than me. And that’s a beautiful thing. I mean, think about it. There is not a single person on this entire planet that is quite like you. And you bring something to the world that only you can bring. How awesome is that?
I am talented
No matter what anyone else is capable of, I can say with certainty that I am talented. Maybe I can’t shoot a 3-pointer, or rattle off the first 100 digits of pi, but in my uniqueness, I have grown a set of talents. I’m decent at football, I’m handy around the house, and I can write reasonably well. How many people can look themselves in the mirror and openly state their talents? It isn’t easy to write this part of the article because it exposes me. But I’m doing it nonetheless. So no matter what anyone tells you, are you talented in so many things. Celebrate those talents.
I am blessed
I have been given so many blessings in life. And perhaps that’s one of the reasons I struggle so much when I don’t feel blessed. Sometimes feeling blessed just feels downright wrong. But why? When I take a step back and truly look at my situation, of course, I am blessed. I have good health, a supportive family, a stable job, a loving wife, and the list goes on. But there are many days when that feeling of being blessed is hard to conjure up. Those are the days I struggle the most. I know, intellectually, that I have everything to be thankful for; yet, for some reason, I am still downtrodden and depressed. Sure, it could be the result of a chemical imbalance, but it doesn’t change the fact that I feel awful.
So what do I do when I feel this way? I try and bring it back to basics: the little things in life that, without a doubt, are in my favor. Many times, it is those things I listed above: good health, a supportive family, a stable job, and a loving wife. And if I can’t manage to convince myself of all four (say I’m having a hard time with work), I still have 3 out of 4. Good enough to get me into the Hall of Fame. So I encourage you to take a moment, step back, and think of the little things in life with which you are blessed. After all, aren’t those little things the most important?
I am worthy of love
Repeat after me, “I am worthy of love.” This is a hard one for me, and for a lot of you out there, I bet. When we don’t love ourselves, we question why anyone else has a reason to love us. We often feel unworthy of being loved. Again…why? Is it so hard to believe that I am worthy of love? I am reminded, daily, by the fact that I have a family and a wife who put up with my crap, which shows they love me no matter what. Even when I screw up, they find a way to love me. And that is a beautiful thing. So again, repeat after me, “I am worthy of love.”
So at the end of the day, don’t forget to love yourself. You are beautiful, unique, talented, blessed, and worthy of love. Embrace that fact. And know that no matter what, I love you.
Alex Hanna
By day, Alex works as a technologist. By night, he runs Challenge the Storm. Suffering from depression and anxiety, himself, he dedicates every day to help one single person. Something as small as putting a smile on someone else's face may have a bigger impact than you think.
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