It can be hard to love your life when others seem have it so much better than you. It’s also hard to love your life when you don’t feel worthy enough to live it. But, we’re here to remind you to focus on yourself and that you’ll start to truly love your life as a result. Here are four easy ways to love your life!
Let it be
Not meaning to quote The Beatles here, but we all could just let things be and be happier for it, right? Maybe you didn’t study as hard as you should’ve for that midterm or maybe you keep reliving the same embarrassing memory you’ve had since childhood. Regardless, let all of that be. All these moments had their part in developing you into the person you are today. Now, you need to love your life by first leaving all that doesn’t serve you anymore, behind you.
Open Up
How many times have you put that same wall up that prevents you from really getting to know others and from getting others to really know you? This pandemic has likely made stepping outside of your comfort zone really difficult, right? We know introverts reading this might disagree, but we all NEED to open up to others. This can be super hard, because opening up is scary and uncomfortable. No one wants to take that risk with complete strangers, and we typically worry that close friends could end up judging us. But, how can we really enjoy our life if we don’t take that chance to really get to know others and feel comfortable with who we are as people. Even an introvert could start a friendship by saying “I’m an introvert,” and we’re sure they’d find the right people to be around!
Vow
So this is a tricky one, but you don’t have to be affiliated with a religion of any kind to “vow.” What we mean by this is to take all of your plans, dreams, and negative feelings, and leave them all in the hands of something or someone that knows more about you than you. That could be God for those who are religious, but it could also be the universe in general or even your therapist! If you vow your life to something other than yourself, you’re essentially giving the societal pressures of needing to look, feel, and act a certain way at a certain age, to someone or something else that can reassure you that you’re on the right track. Vowing your life in whichever way feels right for you could leave you feeling grateful and happy with the life you currently have because of how stress-free it is.
Elaborate
We’ve heard our professors tell us to elaborate on our answers… Well, what if that same approach can be applied to how we view our life? Growing up, we’re taught to use our words when things go south. Like when your classmate in preschool stole your favourite purple marker, or when your favourite artist has yet to release their new album after months of promoting it. We’ll usually react by verbally expressing how these things make us feel. So, even if we don’t realize it, we’re always elaborating on how we’re feeling. But, do you ever elaborate to yourself on how you’re feeling? If not, then you should try it! Recently, I’ve picked up journaling again and it couldn’t be any more therapeutic! It has helped me A LOT in coping with past feelings that I might not have addressed to the extent that I needed to to fully enjoy my life now. Be your best friend when it comes to being there for yourself!
Letting all your past worries and mistakes go, opening up to others, vowing your life to something bigger than yourself, and elaborating on how you feel could be all that you’re missing (or not prioritizing) and that’s keeping you from loving your life the way you should! None of us are perfect, and we definitely shouldn’t compare our lives to others to feel better about our own lives. So, let’s focus on ourselves in these four ways, and we’ll be sure to see positive changes in how we view ourselves and our lives.