Best friends are some of the best parts of life. Having someone who you can laugh with, depend on and trust with your life, is one of the best bonds out there.
I may not have a lot of friends but I am lucky enough to have a couple best friends who have been in my life for years. I’m so grateful for them and every text, crying phone call and visit I get with them.
Unfortunately our besties have their own lives and can’t always be there for us, every single time we need them and that’s okay. Because you have to be able to take care of yourself, love yourself and cheer yourself on.
Don’t get me wrong, I struggle with a lot of things on this list. I do negative self talk, I don’t always love myself and I’m my toughest critic. But I try. It takes a long time and a lot of rewiring sometimes but it’s worth it.
This Is 10 Ways To Be Your Own Best Friend:
1. Like Yourself
You like your bestfriend, you like them despite their faults, bad habits or dumb choices. So why is it so hard for us to like ourselves despite those same flaws.
Learn to like and respect yourself! It might seem obvious but so many of us walk around filled with self hatred. Turn that into self love.
2. Enjoy Your Own Company
Whether you’re an introvert or extrovert it’s important to spend quality time by yourself. Get to know yourself.
Enjoy your own company enough to be alone with your thoughts, feelings and inner conflicts.
3. Seek Validation From Within
Often people are so quick to seek outside validation. We need people to compliment, praise and reassure us that we’re doing a good job.
The problem is, when we don’t receive that validation, we lose confidence. That’s why it’s so important to be able to validate yourself! You’ll be much more likely to be able to cope with criticism if you can validate yourself from within.
4. Be Able To Compliment Yourself
Think of all the ways you comfort, support and compliment your best friend!
Now think about how you can do that for yourself! And not just your outer beauty, but your inner beauty too!
If you need ideas refer to our post “6 Compliments that aren’t about physical appearance”
5. Learn How To Pick Yourself Up
Our best friends are there for us on our toughest days. To pick you up and dust you off. Now what if you could do that for yourself?
Sometimes our friends may simply not be around or available when we need them. You need to be able to pick yourself up and dust yourself off when no one is there.
6. Make Yourself Laugh
Laughter, sense of humour and not taking ourselves to seriously are vital to our sense wellbeing.
One of my all time favourite quotes are “If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry” because you have to be able to move past those tough times, and laughing it off is one of the best ways to do that.
7. Be Kind To Yourself
You wouldn’t call your bestfriend fat if they are too much, or ugly or gross. So why would you say it to yourself.
Self talk is extremely important. What you say to yourself matters. So make sure it’s positive. It’ll change your day dramatically.
8. Believe in Yourself
When someone tells you they believe in you, your confidence sky rockets. It’s a high to have someone else see something good in you. But it’s hard to believe in someone who doesn’t believe in themselves.
When was the last time you told yourself you were proud of yourself? Don’t just say it, feel it.
9. Embrace Your Individuality
When you love someone like you love a best friend, it’s easy to fall into copying their habits. But don’t forget who you are and what makes you special.
Embrace your individuality! Let that light within glow and be unapologetically yourself. Your best friend loves you for who you are. So love yourself for those same reasons.
10. Be Your Own Cheerleader
You need to be able to motivate and energize yourself, because you won’t always have people around to do it for you.
Sometimes it’s the opposite and people will drag you down. Don’t let them, cheer yourself up, cheer yourself on. Believe in yourself and be your own biggest cheerleader.