Appreciating and valuing yourself is as important as taking care of your physical body. You hear everywhere that you must love yourself unconditionally, yet no one explains what this means. Although it is a simple concept, it is usually misunderstood and considered to be something superficial. It is not!

To love yourself unconditionally means dissolving the limits of loving, valuing, and accepting yourself. And it doesn’t hang on the assumption that you will start loving yourself tomorrow. The purpose is to love yourself unconditionally right now, and tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow.

If you feel tired of being mean to yourself, but also are clueless about how to love yourself unconditionally, practice the following things on a daily basis to boost your self-love and self-respect.

 

How To Love Yourself, Unconditionally?

… Or How Do You Love Yourself, Step By Step?

 

1. Don’t criticize yourself

 

If you deeply believe criticizing your actions will lead to positive results, you are wrong. Criticism never leads to a positive change. It leads to misery and despair. Self-approval, on the other hand, leads to improvement, positive thoughts, and acceptance of one’s self. I shared a great deal about this in this article: How To Be More Comfortable In Your Own Skin. 

 

2. Forgiveness is a crucial step

 

If you want to love yourself unconditionally, you will have to learn how to be patient with yourself and forgive yourself for all of your mistakes. True forgiveness leads to awareness and appraisal, which is why it is a great idea to forgive those that hurt you, too. It may feel hard at first, but once you understand that forgiving yourself and others doesn’t make you lose anything else but your anger, it gets easier.

 

3. Keep a journal

 

Writing down all your blessings and achievements is a great way to learn how to love yourself unconditionally. Create a routine and start writing each and every day the things you like and appreciate in yourself. Include everything that makes you feel good and also – the things that shaped you in a good way, for example – a past mistake that taught you a valuable lesson.

You can also check out my favorite free printable journal – the “30 days to myself” self-discovery journal that helps you truly discover who you are, acknowledge all your positive & negative sides, and fall in love with yourself completely, no matter what.

 

4. Keep toxic people away

 

As much as we want to keep everyone close to us, we have to admit that some people are toxic and promote an unhealthy state of mind. Thus, to learn how to love yourself, you have to remove toxic relationships from your life and make room for caring and loving human connections. Letting go and setting healthy boundaries is another step towards loving yourself unconditionally.

 

5. Get around people who love you for who you are

 

Happiness arises from the quality of our relationships, which is why having around people that accept you as you are can be a powerful confidence boost. If they can love you unconditionally, they can teach you how to do it yourself, too.

6. Allow yourself to follow your dreams

 

Following your dreams will definitely make you feel joyful and grateful for your life. It is also a perfect way to do something for yourself. Make a plan and take a small step towards reaching your dream. Allowing yourself to do this, and doing it in a gentle and self-loving way, is a sign of true love for yourself.

 

7. Be kind to others

 

Learning how to love yourself unconditionally can also be achieved by sharing kindness and being attentive to those around you. The beautiful feeling that arises from helping someone will boost your confidence, mood, and make you appreciate yourself more.

 

8. Take care of your body, too

 

Loving yourself means taking care of both your body and mind. Learn about healthy habits, healthy foods, and a healthy lifestyle. Be more attentive to what you eat and practice mindfulness. Exercise every day and spend some time surrounded by nature. To love yourself unconditionally means to cherish the temple you live in and feeding both your body and mind with the best things you have around.

Read more: 65 Self-Loving Ways To Improve Your Appearance

 

9. Allow yourself to have fun

 

Take all of those activities you used to enjoy doing and re-experience the feelings they gave you. Smiling, laughing, and rejoicing have the power to attract positive energies and thoughts. Allow yourself to fully feel and express those feelings. Loosening up the invisible chains of self-suppression is also a way towards unconditional self-love.

10. Learn how to love yourself from others

 

The straightest way to do that is by reading best-selling books on self-love. They will give you a lot of insights, tips, and techniques on how to start practicing self-love in more practical ways.

I personally recommend these books for anyone who struggles to find self-love and self-compassion in their lives:

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are

The Self-Love Experiment: Fifteen Principles for Becoming More Kind, Compassionate, and Accepting of Yourself

 

How To Love Yourself When You Hate Yourself

 

It is true that there will be some moments in your life when you will feel down, and even hate yourself… Yet that is the perfect time to strive even more to love yourself and who you are. Look at yourself in a mirror, straight into your eyes, and deeply support yourself. Talk to yourself, and remind yourself about the good things in your life, your qualities, and your powers. Allow yourself to cry and take time to gather your strength. Loving yourself unconditionally means accepting yourself in both your ups and downs, good days, and bad days.

 

Unconditional Self-love Is So Important…

 

It gives you the power, courage to follow your dreams, and freedom in being who you are. Learning how to love yourself unconditionally means that deep down in your heart, you are always sure of one thing – no matter what happens, no matter what outcome you get, you will still love and accept yourself. Nothing can take this love away from you, only you.

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This article was proofread by Grammarly