How to Focus on Yourself Proudly in a World Encouraging Attachment to Other People
In a society that often encourages us to focus more on those around us than on ourselves, it’s easy to feel that the idea of “focusing on me” and considering “how to improve myself or work on bettering myself” is selfish. We’re here to tell you that it’s not. In fact, focus on the family, friends, and responsibilities of work can only really happen when you are at peace with yourself. Distractions, avoiding time for self-love and self-care, they don’t serve us — they hinder us. So, why do we continue to let them take such a prominent place in our lives?
If you’re curious about how to love yourself and how to focus on yourself a little more or want to practice some extra self-care and overall self-improvement, check out our suggestions below. You can start your new journey as soon as today.
Get clear on what you want
You can’t do the most self-fulling things for yourself if you’re unclear on what those things are. We recommend journaling, meditating, or speaking to a therapist to uncover what it is that you most want. Of course, if these options don’t work for you, there are other methods you can explore that you prefer, personally!
Give yourself alone time
Whether this time is for self-care or to enjoy some solitude in peace, alone time is crucial. Even if you are in a committed relationship with someone, it’s a significant relationship green flag when your partner encourages you to do this. It’s as essential as it would be to make time for relationship self-care!
Take yourself on a date
Don’t neglect yourself! When you opt to take yourself on a date, you’re making time to focus on what you want to do, going where you want to go. There are so many unique date ideas you can come up with. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box.
Do something you love doing
Even if no one in your circle is interested in doing some of the things you like to do, you’re capable of taking time to focus on what you want and doing it alone. Maybe it’s seeing the next movie in a film series your friends hate or going to a Renaissance Faire your partner has no interest in. Go alone; you’ll thank yourself for it!
Boost your self-esteem
You’re beautiful, inside and out — embrace it! To boost your self-esteem, we find it’s important to do so in a way that feels comfortable to you. Whether it’s wearing your favourite clothing, getting to know your body better, or speaking affirmations to yourself in the mirror, it ultimately should lead you to love yourself and love your body more.
Avoid the ‘bad’ and the ‘ugly’
If things are overwhelmingly negative, step away from them. You don’t owe it to anyone to stay on stressful social media sites, staying friends with a toxic ex, or meeting up with that friend who constantly insults you. When it comes to the good, the bad, and the ugly, just stick with the ‘good.’
Avoid comparing yourself to others
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You are you, and focusing on this as opposed to other people is, in itself, a focused act of self-care. While there’s no clear-cut answer to how to love yourself, refusing to compare your amazingness to anyone else is a solid first step.
Confront your fear of the unknown
When the unknown seems scary, confront it. You’ll either uncover why you’re feeling afraid or, hopefully, also discover how you can overcome these fears. Sometimes it’s about mental health (and the effect of mental illness on love), discovering and setting your relationship boundaries, or perhaps leaving your job for a better opportunity, but it could be something completely different. Whatever it is, you can face your fears.
Unfortunately, people think that taking the mentality of “focusing on me” and questioning “how to improve myself” is selfish, but it doesn’t matter. Learning how to focus on yourself properly and applying moments of self-care, and performing self-love exercises to your daily routine is crucial for your mental well-being and being the best version of yourself both for yourself and your most important relationships. Not to mention the very fact that you are entirely deserving of taking time for yourself, regardless of your reasoning for doing so; “just because” is as valid a reason as any!
Do you feel that you know how to focus on yourself properly? What about how to love yourself and to adopt the mentality for better “focusing on me”? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
