Wouldn’t you love to be that person that every time she looked in the mirror she felt proud of the person looking back at her?
How do you start loving who you see in the mirror so that you can have a positive self-image? The answer is to truly love yourself. What happens when you love yourself? Your life gets better, you feel more confident and everything around you seems more positive. On the other hand, if you constantly have a negative self-image then your chances of reaching your goals and realising your dreams are very small.
Yes, loving yourself takes time and effort, but it is also an incredible adventure that will bring you plenty of benefits. So, open your mind and embrace the potential life-changing improvements that self-love can give to you.
Here are five ways to help you love who you see in the mirror:
1. Let go of the past
The first thing you can do to start loving yourself and improve your self-image is to let the past go. Dwelling on the past will only make the situation worse and you may fall even deeper into self-criticism. Instead, take a few moments, think about your past mistakes and learn something from them.
Remind yourself that you are merely a person experimenting with different things and that it is entirely natural to occasionally make mistakes. No one is perfect! Learn to see errors as part of the learning experience, forgive yourself and let them go so that you can move forward.
2. Stop comparing yourself to others
Next, you could stop comparing yourself to other people if you don’t want to continue damaging your self-image. Remember that every person on this planet is different, so comparing yourself to others isn’t helpful. The truth is, you cannot really start loving who you see in the mirror if you are continually trying to look like someone else or to be someone else. Just be your authentic self and trust that you have unique qualities that no one else in this world has.
The next time you see yourself in the mirror compare yourself to the person you were the previous day.
3. Give your appearance a little boost
The third way you can improve your self-image is to help yourself feel better about the way you look. It is true that happiness comes from the inside, but we sometimes need to give our appearance a little boost to feel joy from the outside, too.
There are numerous ways you can do this and for everyone, it will be something different. For example, you can go to your favourite hair salon and get a new hairstyle. Alternatively, you can go shopping and buy yourself some new clothes. Even though a haircut and clothes seem like trivial things, they will instantly change the way you look at yourself in the mirror.
4. Start appreciating yourself
To start appreciating yourself and giving yourself credit is the fourth way to help you truly love yourself and the person you see in the mirror. Yes, it’s important to acknowledge your past mistakes, but it’s equally as important to acknowledge the small wins that you have along the way.
Giving yourself credit when you achieve a goal or reach a target is very helpful and crucial for improving your self-image. It serves to validate you and the effort you made to get there and there’s nothing wrong with giving yourself a well deserved ‘pat on the back’ or even treating yourself to a luxurious day at the spa.
5. Choose your company wisely
Last but not least, if you really want to love what you see in the mirror, you should choose your company wisely. Imagine spending time with people who only have negative thoughts. It won’t help you to improve your self-image. Ideally, you should spend most of your time talking to people who share the same ideas and interests as you and who will support you unconditionally. So, find such people and create your ‘dream team’. Such a loving and understanding environment will hugely affect the way you feel about yourself.
But remember, that to truly love yourself the love needs to come from within and you can’t expect others to do that for you.
Final comment
If you are not loving the person you see in the mirror, then ask yourself what small thing you can do today to change that.
Medical Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. For medical advice always consult your physician. The information provided in this blog is based on the best knowledge of the author at the time of writing and we do not assume liability for the information within this blog, be it direct or indirect, consequential, special, exemplary or other damages.