We have all come across people who appear so fulfilled, happy and confident. They seem to have everything going for them, they light up every room they enter and are so full of joy. Just looking at them fills you with envy and curiosity. “How do they do it?”, you wonder. Is there some secret you are not aware of? What are they doing differently?

Well, the answer lies in the way they view themselves. If you are one of those who prefers wallowing in self-pity and sadness, you will always find yourself stuck in a rut. However, the day you choose to take your life in your hands and change your perception of yourself – you are sure to see a massive improvement in the way you feel and the way you approach life in general.

Self-love isn’t taught and nor is it guaranteed to stay once you feel you have reached that place. Self-love is an ongoing process – you need to constantly be at it and tell yourself positive affirmations to gain confidence and make a shift in your perspective.

Here are 4 powerful habits of people who love themselves, so you can get inspired to tread the same path –

1. Enjoy Quality ‘Me-Time’

We all focus on developing our relationship with people around us but how much time do we spend building our relationship with our own selves?

Self-love is all about building a relationship with yourself. It’s about understanding your needs and learning how to put them first. The only way to know yourself better is by cutting off the noise around you and spending more time with yourself.

Whether it’s going for a run alone, meditating or just listening to music all by yourself – it is important to be comfortable in your own presence because it gives you clarity, revitalizes your spirit and proves to be beneficial for your mental health.

2. Take Responsibility for Self-Loving

Picture this – you have a deadline to meet for your college essay and you have not even started work. What do you do? Do you blame yourself for procrastinating, blame the college for burdening you with work or take responsibility of the situation and accept that you need urgent college essay help?

It’s easy to play the blame game. What’s difficult is accepting the truth, finding a solution and acting upon it. Know that you are responsible for your happiness and life and take full responsibility of your thoughts, feelings and most importantly, the way you speak to yourself. So, be good to yourself and shut out that meaningless negative self-talk.

3. Stand Up for Themselves

You cannot expect to be treated with respect if you don’t treat yourself like that in the first place. Whether it’s that colleague who constantly puts you down or that arrogant sibling who takes you for granted – it is important to step up and show people how you deserve to be treated.

Self-loving people know exactly when and how to do it because they are confident of their capabilities and don’t choose to put up with people who don’t give them the respect and treatment they deserve.

There will be toxic people you will meet along the way, but you need to know where to draw your boundaries and keep such people out for the betterment of your own mental health.

4. Know when to Let Go

It’s extremely difficult to forgive, let go and move on. You find yourself coming back to that negative emotion and having it wreck your life, but you just aren’t able to let go.

Here’s where self-loving people act differently because they understand that harboring any emotion that only spreads negativity should be gotten rid of.

It’s tough but not impossible. You need to look at the bigger picture and give yourself more priority over everything else. If there is an emotion that is bringing out the worst in you or affecting your peace of mind – let it go because nothing matters more than your mental health.

Author Bio

Adela Belin is the Head of Digital Marketing at Writers Per Hour. She creates content surrounding marketing with a focus on social media and digital marketing. Feel free to contact Adela on LinkedIn.