How to Love Yourself & Forgive

If you find it hard to fall asleep at night because you're constantly going over in your head all of the things you should and could have done differently, you may be being unnecessarily tough on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, and the point of life is to always keep growing and changing for the better. Instead of feeling guilty and criticizing yourself, learn how to love and forgive yourself in order to move forward in life.

Instructions

• 1

  Write in a diary. Chronicle your deepest emotions by letting everything out in a journal. If something is weighing your mind down and making you feel guilty, write about it. Keeping track of your emotions can be an effective tool for helping you understand why you sometimes feel the way you do, and what may trigger these feelings.

• 2

  Drop the bitterness. Feeling angry at yourself is counterproductive. It won't change what happened and won't make the future any better. Ease your burden by accepting what you did to contribute to the situation and try to take it as a learning experience. If you walk around feeling bitter all of the time, all you are doing is torturing yourself.

• 3

  Think about the people you care about the most. When you are feeling upset and punishing yourself, it is not only you who pays the price. It also is the people near you, from your family members to your coworkers in the office. If you keep these negative feelings up, they will probably make you a more irritable, snippy or unpleasant person to be around. Realize that it can be tough to constantly be around someone who hates himself and will not let go of something. Set yourself free, and in turn, the people in your life, too.

• 4

  Consider your needs. Love yourself by analyzing the things that you need, and then taking action. If you need a nap to take a break from stress, take one. If you need to jog outdoors to blow off some steam, get outside. If you need to curl up under your covers in bed and read a relaxing mystery novel, go home and do it. The more you take care of and love yourself, the more responsive and pleasant you become as a person.

• 5

  Give yourself permission to say "no." Although you may find it tough to forgive yourself for saying no to others, you need to realize that you have to live for yourself first, as much as you may want to help others as well. Recognize your right to do what is best for yourself, and if saying no works for you, do it. The people who matter will always respect you for being truthful.

• 6

  Think about your positive traits. If you find it tough to forgive yourself about a situation, instead of focusing on what you did wrong, remind yourself of what you did correctly. This also applies to loving yourself in general. Instead of always obsessing over your every flaw and mistake, acknowledge all of your strengths and think about what you can do to enhance them.

• 7

  Talk to someone. Get all of your feelings out regarding your inability to forgive yourself. Divulge your feelings to a trusted person. Speak openly about what you did that was "wrong" and what you think the negative consequences are or were. Oftentimes, talking with another person about guilt can help people get clearer perspective into what happened and how important (or not important) it truly is.