Over many years of being a therapist and coach, I’ve learned that a foundational part of my work with clients is to help them learn to love themselves more. Meaningful transformation just can’t happen unless we work through the blocks that keep us from learning to love ourselves well. Keep reading for 3 essential tips for learning to love yourself more:

1. Transform your self-talk

Most of us have lots of compassion for other people; we embrace their personality quirks (this may be exactly what we love most about them, in fact) and we don’t expect them to be perfect. What I find though, is that we are sadly short on compassion for our own human failings and imperfections. To transform your self-talk the next time you goof up or fall short, try saying (out loud or in your mind) things that you might say to a beloved friend if they exhibited the same shortcomings. (I can almost guarantee that unless you’ve been intentional about changing your self-talk, you’ll see a BIG difference between how you talk to yourself and what you say to others!) Developing compassion for yourself (and expressing it) is so important, in my not-so-humble opinion, that it’s the first stage of the Stages of Rediscovery in my Embrace Your Amazing Transformation coaching program. 

2. Repeat Affirmations

Affirmations are simple statements of truth that one repeats daily to speak what they want – and how they want – to be in their life. There is strong science that I won’t get into here behind telling ourselves what we desire to focus on and believe about ourselves being a very effective tool for improving how we view ourselves. Keep in mind that affirmations should always be spoken utilizing positive words and state what we do want – not what we don’t want to focus on. An example of an affirmation I use for myself  is: I offer myself forgiveness, grace and kind words when I make a mistake. It takes some consistency and practice, but stating your affirmation(s) aloud every day (even better if you do it multiple times a day) helps you create a reality of self-love and acceptance in your life. 

3. Hang out with people who love, like & admire you

Swimming in the energy of people who think you are the bomb dot com is a great way to show yourself some self-love. These high-vibe peeps will say nice things about you that you can turn into affirmations (see what I did there??), and they will speak into the universe just how amazing you are which, in turn, helps you recognize what makes you so amazing. 

Implement these three tips into your daily life and experience the satisfaction of loving yourself more deeply. Try one or all three of these opportunities to grow your self-love now…because you’re oh so worth it. 

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