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How To See Yourself In a Better Light
How we see ourselves contributes a whole lot to how we live our lives. We all make mistakes. Maybe a certain mistake you made caused you to feel bad about yourself. Maybe someone pointed out an insecurity you are well aware of and now you feel rubbish. Especially with the huge influence of social media these days, it is easy to become easily obsessed with a feature we don't like about ourselves. So, as the title suggests, we are going to discuss a couple of ways we can see ourselves in a more positive light!
When your feeling low, you tend to be focused on yourself, your insecurities and how bad you feel. It can be difficult to see what other people are going through when you're in that sad bubble. But try this out. Endeavor to do something kind for someone. When you are thinking about helping others, your focus is not set on your negative feelings. Famous entertainer Conan O'Brien once said, "Be kind, and amazing things will happen." Wise words! When you are being kind to others and helping them, you will also be helping yourself as those pesky negative feelings should start to be replaced by positive ones.
Another way we can reduce negative feelings is mixing up our everyday routines. Seemingly small things like travelling the same route to work every day can actually be a contribution to feeling low. So, switch it up. Try a different route, or use a different form of public transport to get to work. Or take a visit to a place you have always wanted to go. Breaking out of your ordinary routine can be refreshing to the mind and open your eyes to different ways of life. Again, it will distract you from the negative thoughts bringing you down and change your perspective to a happier one.
Also, social media can have a key effect on our self-image. Nowadays, as we scroll through our Instagram or Twitter, we see thousands of pictures of different people living their lives. Social media has lots of positive aspects, but it can be negative as well. It can be so easy to compare ourselves to the 'ideal' female or male that seems to have been shaped by social media and society. For instance, a person may not feel beautiful because they do not have the same body as some Instagram models or because they do not get as many likes and comments as someone else. Have you felt this way before? Well, this can be very damaging to one's self-esteem and image and so we should try our best not to compare ourselves to others. Remember, every human is beautiful and we are all different in our own ways. Embrace it!
When we are feeling negative, we can purely focus on our limitations and things we think we are bad at. But the important question is, what are you good at? Get out a notepad and start listing down your skills and attributes. Think about your qualities, maybe you're a kind person or a creative person. Even ask close friends and family what they love about you. Also, what have you accomplished over the years? Recording these positive things may not seem that beneficial but it certainly is. It helps you to feel good about yourself again as you remember people love your qualities and the great things you have done in your life. Keep this list so you can look back at it if the negative feelings return.
To summarise, we all feel inadequate and even worthless at times. We make mistakes. But instead of dwelling on our limitations and mistakes, let's try and learn from them and shift our focus to the high points of our lives and how beautiful life can be. Let's pop that sad bubble today!