TIPS FOR HOW TO LOVE YOURSELF

Trip Down Memory Lane #2
PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION REGIONALS LEVEL

This is the speech I delivered during the public speaking regional level I participated in 2011. Hoping this post would both help you to gain ideas for public speaking speeches and to practice to love yourself.

A very good morning to miss/madam chairperson, honorable judges, a worthy timekeeper and last but not least members of the floor. In this auspicious day I would like to talk about tips for how to love yourself.

To love yourself means to accept ourselves as we are and to come to terms with those aspects of ourselves that we cannot change. It means we need to have self-respect, a positive self-image, and unconditional self-acceptance.

How to do it?

Let me share with you some tips that you can practice to love yourself.

First.

Ask for a list of things people like about you.

Sometimes it can be hard to find things we like or love about ourselves. So, ask other people to tell you all the things they like about you. Ask a friend, a lover, a therapist. This isn’t a replacement for your own love, it’s a first step in learning to love yourself. You may need to hear the things other people like about before you can value them in yourself.

If hearing what people like about you is hard, ask your friends to write it down for you, so you can read to it over and over. Go back to it as many times as you can. Even if you don’t believe that someone can like a particular thing about you, or you don’t believe it exists, trust that your friend does see it and value it.

When you start to hear critical voices inside your head, go back to those things your friend said/ wrote about you, and remember that you are loved.

 Make a list of the things you like about yourself

Make a list of all the things you like about yourself. Be as honest as you can. If you’re having a hard time findings things you value about yourself, think about the things you value and love in your friends, then see if those things exist inside you, too. Most often, they do.

Make it part of your daily routine to praise something in yourself or think about something you like about yourself.

In this society, we’re taught that praising ourselves is selfish and wrong. But praising ourselves for things that are good about ourselves only helps us. It is a healing thing to do, something that nourishes our self-worth. When we love ourselves, we’re happier and more true to our own selves, and that happiness and ability to be free spreads to others.

Have compassion for yourself

If you are feeling really judgmental about something you have done or said, try to understand where the judgement is coming from. Not the immediate, surface answer, but an answer deep down inside you.

Do comforting and Nurturing things for yourself

Allow yourself to do comforting and nurturing things for yourself. Let yourself feel how good you feel when you do those things and tell yourself that you deserve to feel that way, to feel good. Gradually you’ll find that more nurturing and comforting times you have, the more you’ll seek them out and they will help build a good feeling inside you.

Ask Yourself What You Need to Do

Some of these things will work really well for you, while others may not quite fit you. So try taking a moment to get quiet, and ask yourself, “What can I do to help myself feel more compassion and love toward myself?” Don’t force an answer – just let the answer bubble up from inside you. If you find it hard to hear the answer that way, try writing out your question, and then your answer. See what you come up with. You know best what works for you – and you have great wisdom inside you.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Before I end my speech I would like to stress that we should have compassion for ourselves and for where you are at. Remember that you are a truly loveable person and that you deserve only kind treatment, especially from yourself. Appreciate every moment in our life in order to live longer. Thank you.