It is important to treat yourself with respect and compassion, like you would a good friend. We give others so much love, but forget to give it to ourselves. We also fear being alone with ourselves, but the only way to truly know yourself is by giving you some me time. You realize there is actually a lot of freedom spending time alone.
Having others to depend on is a wonderful thing, but the only person you can truly depend on is yourself. Having the ability to comfort oneself in times of need cultivates freedom and peace. You can’t control how others treat you, but you can control how you treat yourself, so why not treat yourself with love and respect?
You got to remember to treat yourself like you would a good friend by listening, empathizing, understanding and lifting oneself up. The things you do for others you care about needs to be practiced on ourselves.
If a friend states they are worthless, a horrible person, ugly, not good enough, or unlovable. You would do everything you can to help lift them up ,or try to convince them they are not those things, why not do that to yourself?
Being proud of yourself is important. Listening to yourself is important. Giving yourself priority is important. Spending quality time with yourself is important. Learning to accept the good, bad, and in between of who you are is important.
Give yourself a break. Don’t be too harsh on oneself. Your inner critic is there to protect you from getting hurt, or from making a mistake, or looking like a fool, but the majority of the time it hurts and pulls us down more than protecting us.
Be kind to yourself. Accept your flaws, like you would a good friend. I am sure you have no problem with the flaws of a good friend, why not accept yours? No one is perfect. If you can’t love yourself. It would be hard to appreciate the love of others.
Things one can do to be your best friend
- Honor your needs
- Listen to yourself
- Spend time alone
- Set boundaries
- Practice self compassion
- Accept flaws
- Appreciate your strengths
- Praise oneself
- Find self comfort
Psychology of Mindfulness 