- Date posted
- 2y
Question
Any tips on how I can love myself?
Any tips on how I can love myself?
this is so hard sometimes. but I write three things I love about myself in my journal almost everyday, it feels silly sometimes but does help and gives you a chance to point out good traits or accomplishments that you may not give yourself credit for normally
Depends on what your meaning of "self love" is. Is it taking care of yourself while acknowledging both the positives and the negatives? Or is it believing that nothing is wrong with you and that everything is perfect? Here is my opinion on the matter based on experience, personal and not. Anyone can feel free to disagree with me. But I'm hoping this can be helpful. I don't know you. You could have a long list of good things about you, and a tiny list of bad things about you. Or a super long list of flaws and a minuscule list of qualities you find good. The lists are in continuous change. They might shrink o grow in size or you might even find yourself with an empty list of good things to say about yourself (also thanks to ocd). Basing your self worth on these lists can make you feel better for some time (which is what compulsions do). You can feel like you're worthy enough of your own love. But that might change anytime because life is unpredictable and so is ths way we respond to events (and that's for anyone). I think the goal should be to be okay with yourself, because in life you can achieve great things and fail, you can do things you're proud of and things you're not. You can acknowledge you messed up and that shouldn't impact your value as a human being. No matter what, you are deserving of having your basic needs satisfied. Ocd makes me absolutely hate myself for my past mistakes. Even now that I am temporarily out of the spell, I don't feel proud about those mistakes. They're objectively bad. But I also don't need to think about the good stuff I've done to allow myself to spend a fun evening with friends. When I find myself spending weeks obsessing over my mistakes and flaws, there is no list that could give me a tiny bit of long lasting self love (reassurance only makes ocd worse). I can't rely on pros and cons lists to determine how worthy of self love I am, because when I have nothing to put on the pros list, I'd just stop having a reason to take care of myself. And that does not help me become a better person at all. Having good self esteem all the time is an impossible expectation. My ocd may become more manageable, but it also might hit me full force one day. Accepting myself is what will keep me afloat when the worst obsessions will strike back. Forced positivity is just a lifeboat bought from Wish that will deflate as soon as the wave hits me, dragging me down because I've got nothing else to keep me on the surface. It's healthy to appreciate your good qualities, it's ok to feel however you feel about the negative ones (when you can't control the self criticism). Regardless of your feelings, regardless of what others tell you or what you fear others will tell you: you are ALWAYS worthy of being here and healthy. Being a human being is a sufficient reason.
I was using statements of self love and affirmations as neutralizing thoughts, which are a kind of compulsion. When I stopped using it as a compulsion my suicidal OCD got a lot better. So my recommendation is to practice self love when you're feeling good, not when OCD is going hard.
I apologize I post here a lot lol. I have a few questions/I want to vent about this. My therapist and I have identified one of the triggers I’ve been trying to work on, which is my fear of never being good enough; for myself, my family, my friends, for my romantic relationships, and just in general. Honestly, I hate myself so much. Not for any reason in particular, but I overanalyze everything I do and let it consume me. I know this is normal for most people, and everyone goes through bouts of self depreciation and lack of self love. I’m trying to give my love to myself that I’ve always given to other people and it’s so difficult. It’s really funny, I need male validation even though I feel like I can never trust a man ever again. I was broken up with at the beginning of April, and so you can imagine how my self worth really has been feeling. I’m aware my self worth isn’t based on other people’s perception of me, but I just want to be loved consistently through my ocd and adhd. It feels like it’s too much for people, while I simultaneously feel like I’m making this a massive deal. I don’t want to get into another relationship ever again, I just think I’m too weird for most men or they’ll take advantage of me for something again. I think if a man is nice to me, it means there’s an ulterior motive or a catch. There’s genuinely no way someone even cares as much about me as I do them, it’s always one sided. I love my friends, I’m taking about relationships wise. Not to mention, I hate the way I look and act. When I think I’m somewhat decent looking, there’s always a post to pop up with this stunningly beautiful girl. I can never catch up with modern beauty standards. I hate this so so so much. I hate feeling this way, how do I make this all stop?
A little backstory I used to be in love with this girl for months, I would nit pick every text, seeing if she was online or waiting for a reply or text from her CONSTANTLY just to find out I was nothing, she treated me so horribly I kind of forgot how it felt to be loved, I work so hard on something that was a waste it was hard to just “nudge it off” we are complete strangers now. But not to long after I have met this girl a real girl with morals a life, respectful looks at me when I talk and listens to me. Real interest. But of course how I’m wired is to question is this real, we don’t talk 24:7 like the last girl so I thought is this love then if we don’t talk constantly? I didn’t know any better of course, until our first date where we clicked even more and more, and then the second then the third then the fourth, why am I typing this, well it’s because I still don’t feel enough even though I get letter after letter LOVE letters reassuring me yet nothing changes I love this girl but I’m scared to love her fully because what if she just leaves what if she’s lying, I love her so much and she is truly a good person, yet she has no idea how much I cry for her because I feel as if I’m failing her daily, I give her flowers, notes, good dates, really real conversations everything I need in a girl, and what I love the most is the little moments where I truly find myself loving her with all my heart for a few seconds, truly the best feeling ever where I know she loves me back and cares for me and appreciates the things I do for her but then poof there I go second guessing it, and sometimes I feel scared I wanna run away from everything because I’d rather run before I get hurt then get hurt again , but I don’t wanna feel this way I want her we can build a true connection if I allow it but how do I allow it after years of never truly loving someone for real for real, the only love I know is toxic yet I’m not toxic and neither is she, so I need a break from short form content or even music I’m willing to change if it makes my life as a whole more positive it’s just some night I think to myself am I truly enough what can I do to be better and then that sends me spiraling and then not doing anything, yet I believe I do enough for her MORE than enough I treat her super well like a queen, but the dreams I have, I dream she leaves and I’m left feeling empty more empty then ever to the point where I get up at TWO am checking my phone to make sure she didn’t ghost me or she didn’t die. It truly shows me if she does leave that’s the feeling I will feel in that moment and it is terrible the most gut wrenching thing ever and yet when I see her I forget what I was sad about her smile and everything yet when I’m alone it like I forget everything I become a whole different person, my parents and friends can tell I’m happier since I’ve met her, my energy is back but they are right but at the same time they are wrong I wish I can be with her all the time and I wish she would reassure me more but who am I to judge when she has no idea I just want to let go and love her like those little moments I get when I truly do and it’s not like I don’t like her I do constantly but it’s just that I don’t feel enough even though I am enough like we don’t text constantly throughout the day and with my past experiences I believe if you like someone you text them daily but that’s not true I text her morning, goodnight, and we check in on how our days are and of course randomly messages to is it truly just me who thinks like this I believe so hopefully she thinks that’s enough because it genuinely is enough for me but I worry about how she feels constantly should I tell her how I’m feeling or learn myself to become better?
Just a quick question how did you guys who have gotten better learn to accept these thoughts and not fight them ? What tips and tricks did you guys use to truly get better.
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