How to Love Yourself 3

1. 
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   Sit in front of the mirror. Imagine in the mirror is someone putting you down. Then, practice calmly saying to her, "I do not care," with a smile. Practice it until you truly believe it. Do not allow some other person's image of perfect to manifest you. If you believe you are pretty, the person in the mirror will look pretty. If you focus on what others hate about you, that is all you will see.
2. 
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   Try to look past "material" objects and feelings: We all want a nice house, nice things, someone to share our life with, etc. Find your true wants objectively. Do you crave power, a religion, or simply a motive? Sometimes it's easier to hide the truth from yourself, but figuring out what you really want will help you know yourself better and hopefully aid in answering important questions you often ask yourself.
3. 
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   Keep a journal. Write about your experiences, good and bad. When you write down good experiences, allow yourself to feel those feelings. When you remember bad experiences, allow yourself to feel self-compassion. Compassion is not self-pity, but rather willingness to be present/accept with one's own pain and regret. Most people experienced chronic emotional invalidation growing up; adults shouldn't expect others to be validating, and need to learn how to validate themselves. Compassion allows us to be present with our pain so it can be acknowledged and let go.
4. 
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   Be persistent. Work as steadily as you can at loving and accepting yourself just as you are right now. A large part of love is accepting another "as is". This is no different for yourself— learn to love yourself "as is". Only after we've accepted ourselves, we might think about changing some less than desirable characteristics.
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   Start working toward how and what you want to do and be. Do so with a positive attitude, by working toward your higher purposes and greater appreciation of your problems, as motivating you're finding new and better opportunities. Be enthusiastic and cheerful (appropriately).