Want to know how to feel better about yourself? Then you’re in the right place.
Feeling better about yourself is a matter of changing your perception, and to change your perception you need to make some life changes. It may be hard in the beginning but with willingness, hope and patience you can see great results.
Our emotional state can be affected by many different things. We have control over some of those things, and over some we don’t, but if you manage to feel good about yourself and keep a positive outlook you’re more likely to lead a happy and fulfilling life. Living a fulfilling life is something that everyone deserves to have, yet so many people never experience it.
Battling negative thoughts is never an easy thing to do. We’ve all been there. I’ve been there. Through my negative experiences I’ve learned some things that made me what I am today, a better person than I was one, two or three years ago. I would like to share the things I’ve learned with everyone who is willing to work on themselves, and hopefully help you make some positive life changes.
How To Feel Better About Yourself:
1. Create a morning and night routine
Staying up late and being in a hurry every morning is obviously not a healthy thing, and once it becomes a habit it is hard to stop. My suggestion is, starting tonight, create your own night and morning routine.
Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. Your routine should include doing something you love, something that relaxes you. Maybe before bed have a cup of tea, read a book, write. Try to wake up 30-60 minutes before you leave your house in the morning. That will give you enough time to collect your thoughts and plan out your day. Start off your day with a cup of coffee, tea, breakfast, chapter of a book. It doesn’t matter much what you do, as long as it becomes a healthy habit.
2. Get a hobby!
I can’t stress out enough the importance of having a hobby. Sometimes that hobby is the power that gets you out of the bed in the morning. Find something you enjoy, pick up an instrument, sing, draw, write, take photos. Maybe you think you are not good at it and maybe you really aren’t good at it now, but if you do it every day for 30 minutes you will be surprised.
Some people think it’s too late for them to get a hobby, they are too old to learn to play an instrument. That simply is not the truth. I’ve learned to play guitar in a few months just by watching YouTube videos. I’ve been playing it every day for the last few years and it is something that makes me incredibly happy.
Hobbies generate positive feelings and boost creativity, which increases happiness and reduces stress.
3. Channel your negative thoughts into something creative
It doesn’t matter if it’s good or not, turning your feelings into any form of art is always a healthy thing. Sit down, write a story, write a song, write down your feelings, draw something, write a letter to nobody or to yourself. You can delete it after you finish, the important thing is that you let it out. And who knows, maybe you discover a secret talent.
4. Take care of your body
You don’t need to look like a model or a body builder, but you should make time to work out at least two days a week. Not only does it do wonders for your general health and confidence, but it will also make you feel a lot better about yourself.
Take a 30 minutes run, walk, do push ups, yoga, the possibilities are endless. Try to eat healthy, avoid sugar and junk food and eat more fruit and vegetables.
5. Drink plenty of water
I shouldn’t even point out the benefits of drinking enough water every day. Get up and drink two glasses of this amazing liquid RIGHT NOW.
Every morning fill up a 2l bottle with water and challenge yourself to finish it during the day. Once you finish it drink some more. If you are going out bring a small bottle of water with you. Make a habit out of this and you will see incredible results in a week or two.
SEE ALSO: How To Increase Your Happiness a Little Bit Every Day: 14 Different Ways
6. Cut down on your bad habits
Nobody is perfect and everyone has their own vices, be it cigarettes, alcohol, soda, junk food or something else. The perfect solution would be to quit these things cold turkey because they do you no good. If you can’t quit cold turkey the smart thing to do would be to cut down on it.
Maybe instead of that glass of Coke drink a glass of water, instead of that tasty burger eat an apple (which tastes even better!), instead of smoking pack of cigarettes a day smoke half a pack, and after a while cut some more until that habit is a thing of the past.
7. Get out of your comfort zone
Yes, I know it is called a comfort zone for a reason, but sometimes it is incredibly good to step outside of it. I personally feel very anxious before doing something new, but I force myself to do it anyway. It doesn’t matter if you end up liking it or not, you will be proud of yourself for being brave to do it in the first place. And if you don’t like it you don’t have to do it again.
8. Remove negative people from your life
This could be a hard thing to do because sometimes the negative people are close to us. You need to realize that it’s not your job to absorb their negative energy.
One of my close friends wasn’t a good person, he had a habit of putting others down to feel better about himself. Once I realized that his negativity is directly affecting me I decided to put an end to that friendship. It was hard but it was necessary. Even if you end up being alone it’s better than to be surrounded by negativity.
Friends are people who don’t make you feel bad about who you are.
9. Try to read something every day
Many people say they don’t have time to read and in most cases it’s just not true. You don’t need to read a novel every day. On your way to work or at your luch break you can read a short story, article, Wikipedia or something else. Reading is fun, it gives you more knowledge and it develops your brain. Also, you’d be surprised how much a single book can change the way you look at life.
There are also other ways to gain knowledge, like watching documentaries or educational YouTube videos.
10. Make time to do nothing
Everyone deserves some me-time, every day. It doesn’t matter if it’s 5 minutes or 5 hours long, you should and you can find time to just lay around, chill, watch a movie or a show or just listen to some
music.
You need to make sure not to overdo it as it may trigger some negative thoughts.
11. Treat yourself
I’m not saying to spend large amounts of money on something you don’t really need or something you will only use once and forget about it the very next day. You can visit a cool place, it doesn’t have to be anything exotic, just a local park, museum, zoo or anything else you find interesting. Or you can order a pizza and watch a movie, which is also a great way to enjoy life (DON’T DO THIS EVERY DAY).
12. Appreciate the little things
It’s true that happiness in little things. That cup of coffee on a rainy day, the smell of a new book, that feeling when you buy a new piece of clothing. Good things are all around you and you need to learn to appreciate them.
13. Do good deeds
Think of the best people you know. Why do you consider them the best? Probably because they are kind to other people, and that’s what you should be. Try to do good things regularly. Maybe spare some change for the homeless, help your cousin’s kid with their homework, help the elderly cross the street, offer them your seat in the bus. It’s easy to be kind and the feeling you get from it is better than any other feeling.
14. Accept bad days
Everyone gets sad from time to time. Accept the fact that you’re only a human and that it’s normal to feel sad. Don’t allow the bad days ruin your progress, your mindset and your life. And even during those bad days there are small but good things you can appreciate, maybe it’s the weather, maybe it’s a smile from the stranger. Pay attention to your surroundings, it may positively surprise you.
15. Talk to strangers
A few years ago the sole idea of talking to a stranger seemed terrifying, but with some effort even that simple task became possible.
People you see at the bus stop, park, grocery store and many other places are just random figures in your life and you don’t pay much attention to them. The truth is every one of those figures has a story or an advice, and most of them are willing to share those things.
Maybe their words have the power to change the way you look at life, and it will definitely make you appreciate yourself and others more.
If you are an awkward penguin like me you may be uncomfortable to start a conversation with a complete stranger, and that’s okay. There are many websites, where you can practice your conversation skills, and the more you practice the better you will be at it.
16. Don’t pay too much attention to social media
We as humans tend to compare ourselves to other people, and social media is a great platform to do that. Social media usually represents a false picture of other people’s lives. Everyone cherry picks the best parts of their lives to share with their followers.
In reality, everyone has their own problems and nobody wants to share them publicly, so stop paying too much attention to social media and stop comparing yourself to others. When you compare yourself to others, you look for what positive things they have that you don’t, and that will only make you feel bad about yourself.
Social media is also a solid way to stay in touch with your friends, to gain more knowledge and to find out the news so use it wisely.
SEE ALSO: How To Manage Your Time Better: 12 Lesser-Known Tips And Practices
17. Redecorate your life
Beauty is in the small things, so maybe put a new photo on the wall, a poster, maybe buy some flowers, buy a new chair or a table if you are able. Change your phone and computer wallpapers, change your ringtone, your alarm sound. Clean out your room, paint the walls in a new color. There are million ways to refresh your space and your life, and it can only bring you good.
18. Acknowledge your feelings
Sometimes we lie to other people that we’re fine, but the problem is when we lie to ourselves. Don’t ever hide from your feelings, acknowledge the fact that you’re a human being and that whatever you are feeling is normal.
Maybe you were sad yesterday, accept it! Maybe you are happy today, accept it! Be in control of your thoughts and never let emotions blurry them or be in control of them.
19. Challenge yourself
Challenge yourself every day to do something, even a simple task. Challenge yourself to talk to a stranger, challenge yourself to walk for 30 minutes, challenge yourself to make the best sandwich you’ve ever had, challenge yourself to finish a book you’ve started, challenge yourself to clean your home.
It doesn’t matter what the challenge is, what matter is the reward – feeling incredible.
20. Visit a friend or a family member
Maybe there is a person in your life that you haven’t seen in a while. Pay them a visit or arrange to meet somewhere. Not only it will make you feel great, but it will also make them feel good and loved.
Caring about someone is a great way to appreciate the life you’ve been given.
21. Keep a journal
Journal will help you identify your feelings, track your progress and it will remind you of the great things that you accomplished and bad things that you’ve successfully battled.
22. Find a role model
It doesn’t matter if they are alive or dead. It doesn’t matter if it’s your mother or a celebrity. Find a good and positive person that you can look up to. Learn from their advices and learn from their mistakes.
One day you may be a role model to somebody else. Maybe you are a role model to somebody right now.
23. Make New Year’s resolutions
Make your New Year’s resolution right now and start working on them right now. By the time New Year’s Eve comes you will be proud that you’ve checked some things off your list.
Instead of waiting for beginning of the year to start working out, do it today. Instead of waiting to start studying or doing what you love, do it today. Instead of waiting to improve your life, do it today!
24. Get some sleep
Quality sleep is much more important than you think. I’ve already talked about creating your morning and night routine, but there are also other ways to improve everyone’s favorite hobby – sleep.
Try to avoid naps, as they may make it harder to fall asleep at night. Avoid bright screens within 1-2 hours of your bedtime. Turn off your phone, you don’t need it anymore. Make room as dark as possible.
Don’t drink too much caffeine during the day. Avoid alcohol before bed – while a nightcap may help you relax, it definitely won’t provide you a quality sleep. Also don’t drink too much water in the evening because you probably don’t want to wake up a few times during the night for a bathroom break.
25. Enjoy the world around you
Enjoy the sunset and sunrise, enjoy the rain or snow. Enjoy the sun and sunny days. Enjoy that musician that shares his feelings and his art while playing on the street, enjoy the silence. Enjoy talking a walk through the woods or through the city.
26. Life is beautiful and don’t allow negative thoughts to tell you otherwise.
The most important thing is to never give up. No matter how bad things get they will one day be over. Through each experience you come out smarter and stronger. Everything is possible with a simple belief in yourself. Your actions, your thoughts and your words matter and can change the world, so use them in a positive way.
I want to thank you for taking the time to read my article about how to feel better about yourself. I sincerely hope its contents have been a good help to you.
