4 Self-love Strategies to Shift Your Perception of Yourself

Do you feel like you are not getting the love that you need from others? Are there things that you are longing to hear, but get nothing? Do you have difficulty acknowledging the good in yourself and loving yourself? 

You are not alone. So many people have difficulty loving themselves. It may be a part of modern culture, that we are programmed to criticize and degrade ourselves.  We see only our faults, mistakes, and shortcomings, and we easily blame those for everything that goes wrong.  

Here are 4 self-love strategies to begin today; 

1. View yourself from a new perspective

I challenge you to look at yourself from an outside all-knowing perspective. What I mean by this is, step outside of your inner biases, beliefs, and prejudices about yourself, looking at yourself with a wider lens, one that sees everything clearly, lovingly, and without judgement. You could even view yourself as if through the eyes of the divine, God, angels, or whatever fits with you.  

From this new perspective, are you able to see yourself differently? Are you able to see your strengths, your goodness, your gifts? Can you see how you positively affect the lives of others, and how you make a difference in the world? 

2. Write a love letter to yourself 

Now your next challenge is to write a love letter to yourself from this new perspective. This is your opportunity to give yourself the appreciation, love and acceptance that you have been wanting to receive from others. Write down all that you see in yourself from this new viewpoint. Brag yourself up. Give yourself a big pat on the back for everything that you do everyday, even the little things. Talk about all that you are proud of, all that makes you so amazing and unique. Take credit for all that you do and all that you are. Nobody ever needs to see this letter, so go ahead and let it all out. Write as much as you can, and avoid editing until you are all done. Allow your greatness to flow onto the page. Tell yourself everything that you need to hear, even if there is some resistance or disbelief. Set that aside for now. You can even add things that others might say about you if they could. Even if you feel like you are making it up, just go with it. Remember, this outside perspective knows all. 

3. Read it with an open heart

Once your letter is complete, read through it with an open heart. No judgement. Give yourself permission to take in what is written, and accept as much as possible. It may be difficult, and you may feel some resistance and discomfort in reading it. Accept that as part of the process. It will take some time to completely change your programming and how you view yourself. This is a good start. 

4. Go back and read again later

Save this letter and read it to yourself repeatedly until you believe what is written. You can also refer to it during times when you need a lift or a reminder of your value. It is also good to read when you need to feel more love for yourself.  

I know this may not be an easy task, but the payoffs will be great if it helps you to acknowledge your worth, embrace your gifts, take credit for all that you do, and begin to love and accept yourself. There is so much love out there for you, but it can be blocked by our own inner beliefs. To receive more love the best place to start is with yourself.  

Love yourself first! You deserve love!