Here are some ways you can love yourself, starting today.
PHOTO BY DAME SOPHIE
I hated myself for a long time. I hated my imperfections, my mental illnesses, my poor choices. It became hard to love myself because I believed that everyone around me expected me to be a perfect woman.
One day I was speaking with a good friend who listened to my struggles. We broached the topic of self-love, and he explained to me that God wants us to love ourselves, not hate ourselves. I wanted to fulfill God’s will, but I wasn’t sure how to do so. Luckily, I found answers.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gives us four tips to learn how to love ourselves in its article “How to Love Yourself Like God Loves You.” When we struggle to see our worth, we can rely on these tips to lift us up and show us our divine value.
1. See your true value
The world tries to measure our worth in a lot of ways, from the number of likes on our social media posts to the size of our friend groups. But the Church teaches that “in God’s eyes, your perseverance, charity, and efforts to do good are what make you exceptional.”
2. Let go of past mistakes
No one is perfect. When we forget that, we feel that we’re never going to be good enough. But God doesn’t want us to feel that way; he wants us “to pick ourselves up and try again” after we make mistakes. What matters is that we keep trying.
3. Your trials are not punishments
Sometimes we think our trials come because of our imperfections. Instead, they’re meant to help us learn. In each trial we face, God “feels unimaginable pride in [our] courage and resolution to keep pushing forward.”
4. Remember who you are
We are all children of God. Because of that, God will always love us. When our self-love isn’t enough, he can give us some of his love for us.
Read more from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ article “How to Love Yourself Like God Loves You.”
Source: ChurchofJesusChrist.org
—Contributor, Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY PEXELS
Find more insights:
Find out how patience can help you develop self-love in Emma Snow’s article “Love Yourself: A Key to Patience.”
Read Naomi Hurd’s article “The Cycle of Self-Worth” to find out how a piano describes our relationship with ourselves.