Take care of yourself first. This isn’t selfishness, it’s self-respect. You must recognize that your well-being is your own responsibility. You cannot rely on others to care for you like you care for them. There are many ways to approach taking care of yourself:
- Enforce a night-time and morning routine that allows you to get enough sleep every single night.
- Maintain proper hygiene without depending on toxic skin, body, and oral care products. For example, you may want to experiment with tongue scraping and oil pulling for oral health.
- Be conscious of what you eat and how it effects your physical appearance and health. Your skin will literally glow different depending on the food you eat. The beta-carotene found in foods like sweet potatoes and carrots, for example, is proven to visibly give your skin a bronze hue.
- Work on getting over your fear of missing out. If you don’t want to go somewhere or do something, don’t. It’s not that complicated. Preserve your peace and energy for things (and people) of which you are passionate.
Treat your appearance as a work of art. You get to decide who you are, so be deliberate with how you present yourself to others (and how you show up for yourself). Your inner character shows through the way you look and act.
- Get rid of any clothing or accessories that you cannot envision your ideal self wearing. Don’t overthink it; be ruthless.
- Do not engage in any activities that do not make you feel good about yourself. Whether this is attending a movie that goes against your morals or partaking in mindless social media scrolling, don’t do it. Just stop.
- Cut your hair and wear it in a way that you think is beautiful, even if no one else is doing it.
Be kind to everyone. This is not just for their sake, it’s for yours. Your own compassion makes you a better, more attractive being.
- Be a genuine participant of conversations. Whether this is with a loved one or someone at the grocery store, truly listen and respond in a way that shows your interest. You may just find that you have another friend in your corner of the world. And you’ll likely learn something from them too.
- If dealing with someone who has mistreated you in the past, kindness may not be the answer. But being rude isn’t either. In this case, silence may be your best option. You must protect yourself from a malicious person.
Adopt habits and activities that nourish the soul and stimulate the mind.
- Read everything. Read fiction, biographies, poetry, anything you can get your hands on. Read wikipedia articles about historical events you’ve never heard of. Reading, no matter the genre, adds to your knowledge base and expands your vocabulary. It gives you an air of culture and sophistication.
- Spend time outside. Do not be afraid of the sun, it is a friend. Simply sitting under a tree and finding shapes in the clouds reminds you that you are just another speck in the universe. It is a comforting perspective that lifts worries and encourages you to live life on your own terms.
- Other suggestions: paint, draw, write poetry, play an instrument, listen to music, cook, bake, sing, dance, spend time with those you love and are inspired by, take long walks, drink herbal tea…
Lastly, say “no” to EVERYTHING that makes you unhappy. I know this seems impossible to do, but a few small steps at a time is all it takes to be living a daily life that brings you nothing but complete and utter joy.
- Find a job you like. I know many of us do not dream of working and, therefore, do not have “dream jobs,” but there has to be some position that does not make you feel like strangling yourself or the people around you. You just need to be brave enough to experiment and find it. (For some people, this may include creating a stream of passive income or establishing themselves as a freelance creative.)
- Stop associating with people that make you feel like less of yourself. It doesn’t matter who it is or their relationship to you, you don’t need them.
- Avoid the small things that do not make you feel good. It seems silly, but do not wear the shirt you feel makes you look like a caveman. Do not eat the food that makes you feel slightly nauseous. Do not go to the place that brings up bad memories. The list can go on forever.
You are already a beautiful person, I’m sure, but reading this article and consciously wanting to better yourself makes you even more lovely. If we all tried to make ourselves kinder people, the whole word would be a better place. It starts with us. Let’s not take this responsibility lightly.
