”Beauty is when you can appreciate yourself. When you love yourself, that’s when your most beautiful.” – Zoe Kravitz
After coming across this beautiful quote by Zoe Kravitz, it really got me thinking. Why don’t we take the time to appreciate and love ourselves?
Madonna sang in her 1994 hit song Secret, ”Until I learned to love myself I was never ever lovin’ anybody else…”
You have to love yourself before you’re able to love somebody else. How can we expect to build long-lasting and beautiful friendships and relationships if we don’t love, appreciate, respect and cherish ourselves? If we don’t, no one else will. After all, the way you care for yourself sets the precedence for how others treat you.
Here are my top tips on how to learn to love yourself and be happy:
- Spend more time with friends and loved ones. Positive relationships uplift our spirits, and release those feel good endorphins
- Stop comparing yourself to others. You’re not them, you’re you!
- If there’s an area or two you’re not happy with in your life, work on it. Whether that’s nailing that pitch at work, slaying in the gym to achieve your body goals or starting your own business, setting goals and achieving them one by one really is one of the best feelings in the world
- Read, read, read! Reading a fabulous book expands our imagination, sharpens our minds and is a great way to relax and unwind
- Take care of what you put into your body. The food you eat really does rebuild your body cell by cell, so we really are what we eat. Check out my top tips on how to eat your way to pretty skin here
- Exercise regularly, especially when you feel low, tired or stressed. Exercising releases endorphins which increase our happiness levels and makes us feel better about ourselves
- There’s a big beautiful world out there, so don’t be afraid to get out and see it! Traveling is a great way to grow as a person
- As important as it is to guard our hearts, it’s as important to open them to the right people. Know and trust your gut feeling enough to judge when someone’s energy is right or wrong for you
- Laugh at yourself. We all do silly stuff sometimes, and in my opinion, someone who can laugh at themselves and doesn’t take themselves or life too seriously is truly beautiful
- Treat yourself. Whether that’s to a pamper day, movie, holiday or that gorgeous new dress, whatever you want, you earned it!
Cover Image Credit: Nadine Ijewere Captures Yuka Mannami For Allure Magazine March 2018
