Over time, our relationships with ourselves can become distant and, in some cases, harmful if we don’t hear the alarm bells sounding off, trying to tell us to love ourselves like it’s our job. With the hurried pace of life today, many people don’t take the time to look after themselves or feel too tired after a long day at work or school to even think about their relationship. So, we trudge on, just trying to make it through the day but feeling empty and exhausted.
If this sounds like you, start taking small steps to improve your relationship with yourself. This doesn’t have to mean quitting your job or dropping out of school to make time for yourself, but just carving out ten or fifteen minutes a day to have “me” time.
Here are seven signs it’s time to better your relationship with yourself:
1. You feel disconnected from yourself.
With so many people pressed for time and under pressure to keep up with their obligations, it is no surprise that many of the population feel disconnected from themselves. We don’t spend nearly enough time in nature, allowing the sunlight to grace our skin and letting the breeze carry away all of our problems. In short, we feel detached from ourselves because we have a broken connection with nature. We ARE nature, so we can find ourselves again by connecting more with Mother Earth and less with our jobs, phones, and possessions.
If you feel like an alien in your own body, it might be time to do deep meditation or yoga or return to nature for even thirty minutes a day. This will significantly improve your relationship with yourself and all of humanity.
2. You’ve been having health problems recently.
Not feeling well should make the alarms go off in your head and tell you that you need to slow down, take deep breaths, and do some deep reflecting. Stress is the culprit behind many common health problems today, so to combat it, you need to go to the source of it. Once you eliminate the major stressors, you can begin to take your health back into your hands by meditating regularly, exercising, eating clean, whole foods, and living a life you truly enjoy.
3. You have a negative self-image.
You can’t live a positive life seeing through a distorted lens, so you must correct how you view yourself if you want to see significant changes. Throw away all the man-made expectations of what and who you should be, and instead, see yourself as a manifestation of energy, perfectly worthy of occupying space on this Earth. Loving yourself and having a good relationship with yourself doesn’t have to be as challenging as some people make it out to be.
You don’t have to read every self-help book out there and meditate for twelve hours a day to gain acceptance from yourself. Make that choice every day to love yourself no matter what happens, your mistakes, or how your clothes fit you. None of this matters; the only significance is how you see yourself. Because this is the lens in which you will see the world.
4. You engage in self-harming behaviors.
Cutting, starving yourself, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, doing drugs often, and eating a poor diet all indicate that you need to work on your relationship with yourself. Would you be concerned if you saw your friend or relative engaging in these behaviors? You should have the same level of respect and care for yourself as you do for others, so treat yourself as you would want to be treated.
However, if you cannot stop these behaviors, please seek professional help immediately.
5. You always want to run from yourself.
Sometimes, we just feel restless and trapped inside our 3D selves and want to escape somehow. However, in this lifetime, we have been gifted with our vessel for a reason. Think of yourself as a little spaceship, traveling through life and having experiences that will help you lift off into another dimension after exploring this one. No one else gets to have the same ship as you, so you should see yourself as a rarity, a beautiful diamond that constantly gets polished with each new experience.
Instead of trying to run from your life, problems, or yourself, embrace the person you are. Feel blessed to have even landed on this giant rock spinning in space, and focus on the present moment. You will enjoy life much more and have a better relationship with yourself if you express gratitude for this miracle we call life.
6. The relationships in your life don’t serve your best interest.
You might wonder how your relationships determine your relationship with yourself, but remember: you attract what you are. If you don’t have high self-worth, you will attract people into your life who don’t love themselves, either. Everything starts with you, so if you want positive, inspiring relationships, look at the person in the mirror first.
7. You don’t feel inspired or passionate about life.
Motivation and inspiration must grow from within us before we can start seeing them branch out into other areas of our lives. If you don’t feel passionate about life, go into your heart and ask your Higher self for guidance. Sometimes it seems complicated to figure out what direction we must take, but you must first silence the Ego’s voice and listen to the one of your heart. It will always tell you what path will bring you where you need to go.
Final Thoughts: A Better Relationship With Yourself Equals a More Fulfilling Life
Fostering self-love and creating a better relationship with yourself means building a happier, more fulfilling life. It first takes recognition that you need to work on yourself–and then following through with the necessary self-care. It takes a lot of introspection and self-reflection, but falling back in love with yourself will be worth all the hard work.
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