I just wanted to talk about a really important topic that I think everyone needs to hear about. The topic is about self-respect and how important it is. We often don’t take time to acknowledge and reflect on ourselves, so what do you think self-respect is?

It means a lot of different things to different people. By definition it means “pride and confidence in oneself; a feeling that one is behaving with honor and dignity.” That is what self-respect is overall and we should really understand that. Self-respect is a form of self love because if you have self-respect for yourself then you’re telling yourself that you matter. Everyone is unique and amazing in their own way and when you start to put yourself first and do things that make you happy then you are looking after yourself. Sometimes we can get carried away and put pressure on ourselves and that can negatively impact us.

There are a lot of things that we can do to have self-respect. One thing is that you should not feel like you are not enough or that your likes and dislikes are weird just because others have a different opinion than you. You should love yourself no matter what and embrace your differences because that is what makes you you. If you feel like your friends always are negative and even toxic sometimes and you feel down after you hangout with them then just cut them out. You don’t have to do it in a mean way, but you have to do it if you feel like they are not the right people to hangout with. Surrounding yourself with positive people that uplift you and make you happy can bring a drastic change in your life. You become who you hangout with so it’s important to acknowledge your surroundings. Also, if you are with the right people then you should be ok with saying “no” to plans and being comfortable with saying that because there’s nothing wrong with you if you feel like staying in, listen to your gut feelings.

Another thing that comes with self-respect is having boundaries, having boundaries is a way to keep yourself in check. You shouldn’t feel like you have to let others cross your boundaries just so they can like you. That is violating your self-respect so you should be careful what you let others say and do to you. Building a loving relationship with yourself is super important and you should love yourself before you love anyone else. We all should strive to be the best version of ourselves and that comes with accepting yourself and believing in yourself. Tell yourself that you’re beautiful every single day because even if you don’t believe it it’s true. You could be walking in public and see someone that you think is very beautiful but you don’t know, maybe that person is thinking the same thing about you. You can choose to be your own best friend and that can make your life so much better. Buy yourself flowers, do fun activities, get ready just to make yourself feel good, show off your personality, do your self-care routine, and romanticize your life. Don’t let anyone treat you badly. Stand up for yourself like you’re standing up for your best friend. Those people who make you feel bad about yourself don’t even feel good about themselves and are probably jealous that you have self-respect for yourself and they don’t. You should not care what others think about you, the only opinion that matters is your own opinion of yourself. Having confidence in yourself and doing the right thing also comes with respecting yourself. Set goals, say affirmations, take care of your body and mind, and become the best version of yourself. Don’t apologize for how deeply you feel or passionately you love, you are never too much. Keep yourself in check and send this to someone who needs it because the relationship with yourself determines the outcome of every other relationship that you have.