Taking Action with Yourself

11:57:33

2024-06-01

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1- Treat yourself with respect. We often do things to ourselves that we would never dream of doing to someone we care about. For instance, when’s the last time you called a friend ugly, told them they weren’t good enough, or discouraged them from following their dreams? Whatever you believe to be respect, apply it to yourself. Don't insult or harm yourself, no matter how bad you feel. This kind of treatment is only bound to make you feel worse. Here are some other ways to treat yourself with basic respect:

Don't steal from yourself, such as recklessly putting everything on credit; you're essentially taking money from your future self, because you'll have to pay up eventually.
Be honest with yourself instead of being in denial about what you really want.
Think for yourself by developing your own sources of knowledge and doing research, instead of just following the opinions of others.

2- Take care of your body. When you make an effort to keep your body in good working order, you'll not only feel better physically, but you'll also feel a sense of pride. Respecting your body also means not insulting it for what it is, naturally. Make an effort to get fit and stay healthy, but don't trash yourself over the things you can't control, like your proportions. Focus on the things you can change and improve, and do it because it feels good, not because you think you're not "good enough" the way you are.

This doesn't mean that going to the gym and looking amazing will automatically lead you to have high self-respect. But it does mean that if you don't put any time or care into your appearance, that you'll start to lose respect for who you are.

3- Target areas for improvement. Respecting yourself does not mean thinking that you are perfect and that there is absolutely nothing that you need to work on and improve. It means being able to accept the things that you cannot change about yourself, while working to address the things that you need to work on. Take some time to really think about yourself and to consider the areas you'd like to work on the most; maybe you would like to improve your listening skills, or you would love to handle life's daily little stresses a lot better, or you would like to have a more balanced approach when making the people around you happy without sacrificing your own needs.

Make a plan to make some headway in these departments, and soon, you'll be on your way to having more respect for yourself. Make a list of areas you’d like to improve. Take note when you make improvements, however small. It’s important to write down your small and big victories.
Of course, changing behaviors and the thoughts and feelings associated with those behaviors takes more than a day or two; it takes a big commitment and persistence. But taking the first steps to become a person that you respect more will make you feel more confident about who you are.

4- Improve yourself. Improving yourself means taking the steps to try new things and to open your mind to new possibilities.

Improving yourself can mean taking a yoga class, volunteering, spending more time learning lessons from the elders you care about, learning to see multiple perspectives about a situation, reading the news, and striving to learn new things.