Find Your Light: Self-Love Tips for Imperfect You

“To fall in love with yourself is the first secret to happiness.”

-Robert Morley

Remember those hundreds of times when you felt like arrows were piercing through your heart and you couldn’t bear to experience it any longer? Remember when you cried those late nights wanting the pain to end? Look where you are now. Even if things are not perfect now, look how far you have come from that day you felt you couldn’t survive. Life is not about having everything figured out. You do not need to know how things are going to turn out at the end of the day. Life is about the next step. It is about putting one step in front of the other and not giving up even if the path is not clear.

For those who feel confident and perfect, keep believing in yourself. And for those who see imperfections in themselves, know that we are all flawed in some way or another. We are all imperfect but oh so beautiful and precious. We have fallen into the spiral of setting and meeting unrealistic standards for ourselves. This maze of life gets more complicated if we do not learn to be realistic with expectations for ourselves. We need to learn to love and accept ourselves in this world of chaos and doubt. We need to adore ourselves for even making it through a day where many succumbed to the pressures of this challenging world.

All of us are learning how to relish ourselves at different stages of our lives. It takes time and consistent efforts for us to accept ourselves.

Incorporating some healthy lifestyle habits and tips can help you achieve this ability more effectively. Some of these behaviors can be;

Stop checking who has got it better. Stop comparing yourself to those around you. Understand the difference between real and ideal. what you see out there is not all true. learn the difference and grow from there.
Try to maintain a daily gratitude journal to count your achievements and blessings. Start and end the list with “I woke up healthy today” and “I made it through the day” respectively. These are often blessings we take for granted. Write down the things big or small that someone has done for you.
Accept the fact that you will not be able to control everything in your life. But believe in the strength you possess to scale any obstacle.
Whenever possible, take a break and check-in with yourself. Meditate or simply sit with yourself and be open to feeling every raw emotion within you. Allow yourself to break down if necessary. You do not always get to hold it together. It is good to let it out, cry or vent.
Understand that humans are bound to make mistakes. Allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them.
Accept your imperfections and wear them like a crown. Self-acceptance is of the essence.
Discover what motivates you.
State your goals and plan everything you will need to achieve them. Formulate a plan of action.
Celebrate all victories and milestones.
Regular self-care practices. Because you deserve every bit of pampering you can get.
Surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you. Reconsider ties that make you feel less.
Move! Eating well and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is always the right way to go no matter where you stand in life.
Try including small activities that are outside of your comfort zone. If you succeed, celebrate them. If you fail, learn from them and try again. This helps build confidence and strengthen the idea that you can accomplish anything if you just do not give up.
Make self-love affirmations a part of your routine. Though understanding the effectiveness of this practice may take time, it will be worth the effort.
Be kind to others unconditionally. Perform a selfless deed whenever possible.
Learn to say no when you don't feel like it is meant for you and stop feeling guilty about saying so.
Find yourself a happy place. It can be anywhere in your house or outdoors. A place that might have a calming effect on you.
Recognize your inner dialogues. Self-talk is a very important factor associated with our self-image. Force positive thoughts and dialogue into your mind whenever you are faced with doubts until the positive thoughts become self-activating.

There is an ocean of opportunities and dreams waiting for you. We all hold the power to achieve anything we set our minds to. There might be times when we can not see this though, and other times when we might feel lost. In times like these, keep trusting yourself and take brave steps ahead into a beautiful future you can create for yourself. Sometimes the thought process needed is “For me”, “just for myself”, “because I feel so”, and “Because it makes me happy”. Break free from all the masks we wear to look acceptable to others. And only be considerate towards what you want and who you are. Accept yourself along with your flaws, uniqueness, and bold opinions. Loving and accepting yourself is the most important job you have to master in this lifetime. At the end of the day, all you have is you. There will always be help available, but no one is coming to pull you out of your vicious cycle of negative thoughts. There are people to guide and support you, but it will always be your actions that will save you. Just holding on sometimes can take immense strength; acknowledge that and pat yourself on the back for making it this far. Stop pitting yourself. So love yourself unconditionally! Your breath is reason enough to be proud of yourself.

For times you feel you are struggling to get through the day or like yourself, seek help. There is always a helping hand stretched out, all you need to do is catch hold of it. We at Transform Happily are here to help you with such struggles you might face. Visit us at www.transformhappily.com or email us at transformhappily@gmail.com. You can also call our customer wellness managers on our toll-free number 1800-833-8747.

Rachel Vaz