Best friends are great. They’re with you through thick and thin; they make you smile, laugh and feel good about yourself. They can pick you up when you’re feeling down, and they know you better than anyone else. But, you can learn to do for yourself all these things you love about your best friend.
1. Stand up for yourself like you would for your best friend
You wouldn’t let anyone tell your best friend that she’s not good enough, or that she looks terrible in everything she owns, right? You’d never tell her how her academic career is over because of one bad test; so don’t let someone convince you of that, either! Learning to stick up for yourself can be difficult, but it’s oh-so-rewarding when you do.
2. Do random nice things for yourself!
The greatest thing is when your friend grabs an extra coffee for you or randomly invites you to lunch. Find little things you can do for yourself throughout the day: take an extra long hot shower, drink that frappuccino that you keep telling yourself has too many calories, get into bed early and watch your favorite movie. I promise, you’ll never regret putting a little extra effort into making your day better.
3. Forgive yourself just as easily as you forgive others
If you have respect and compassion for your best friend when she messes up, why don’t you extend the same courtesy to yourself? We’re willing to look past so many other people’s mistakes, but we rarely let ourselves off the hook so easily. Change that.
4. Give yourself a compliment just because!
Have you ever seen the way someone smiles after you comment “I love what you’re doing with your hair today!” It’s a simple way to make someone else’s day, and it’s something small you can do for yourself in the mirror as you’re getting ready in the morning. Do it throughout the day also, especially if you need a little reminder of how great you are.
5. Listen to What Your Mind and Body Tell You
We all have that one friend who stays up late every single night studying. She can’t function during the day, so we tell her to please get some sleep and take care of herself. But, we’ve also all been that friend who has hit a stretch. Get some sleep! Take care of yourself! If you need a breather, take it. You don’t want to let your best friend burn out, so don’t let yourself burn out either.
6. Laugh at yourself
Life’s better when you appreciate funny moments and laugh with people. Some of the best times you’ll ever have with people are times when you’re laughing so hard that it hurts. Find ways to laugh with yourself! If you do something fantastically clumsy and embarrassing, laugh at it! Sit down and watch an episode of your favorite comedy series or go through old gross middle school pictures of yourself — find the funny everywhere you can.
7. Think before you speak
We’re our own worst critic a lot of the time. However, a lot of things we say to ourselves can have serious consequences if we said them to someone else; they have the same effects on ourselves as they do on others! You’re a generally nice person, you wouldn’t be mean to anyone else; why is it any different when you’re talking to yourself, then?
Learning how to be as good a friend to yourself as you try to be to everyone else can be a challenging process; but it’s something you can work on a little every day. Make a few small changes here and there; they’ll build up and do wonders for yourself. In the words of RuPaul Charles…