FOUR SELF LOVE TIPS FOR TEENAGERS.

A GUIDE TO LOVING YOURSELF.

 If you’re like me, self love was a concept that you probably didn’t know about or paid attention to until the past few years. This is mainly because 

1. Most parents (at least mine) do not teach their children self love and it’s importance 

2. Teachers are not trained to teach students what self love is.

We as teenagers, especially in the black community, had to go through something at some point in our lives to actually teach ourselves what self love is. For me, it was the constant comparison between me and other family members.

I have parents who always felt the need to compare me to others when it came to education, character, life choices, just to mention a few. It took awhile for me to understand that they had the best intentions, but the damage was already done.

I went through a period of not feeling like I was good enough. I constantly doubted myself and I didn’t like me. Not loving myself affected me in all aspects of my life: school, relationship with friends and family and even the relationship I had with myself. I just didn’t like anything I was doing.I can bet that at least some of you have gone through this too.

From experience, I can tell you that this is a dark place to be in and you have to try your best to get out of it ASAP. It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible. Take it slow, and be patient.

Here are a few tips to help you love yourself once again.

Believe in yourself 

I cannot stress enough how important this is. You CANNOT love yourself if you do not believe in who you are as a human being. By believing in yourself you get rid of the self doubt and negative thoughts that trickle into your mind at times. You start to accept who you are and make the most out of it.

Indulge in your skills 

Just do what you love to do. Focus on what you’re best at and perfect yourself in it. I promise you, there’s no one person in this world who is good at everything, and if you’re the best at what you do, no one can tell you otherwise or make you feel lesser.

Surround yourself with people who lift up your spirit 

We all had or still have that one friend who always likes to dampen our spirit when we’re feeling ourselves. Please cut ties with them. They’re not worth it. Surround yourself with people who love you for who you are and are not afraid to let you know how amazing you are.

It’s a constant work in progress 

There will be times that you don’t feel like you like who you are as a person. If there’s anything you can do to change that feeling, go for it. But if you can’t, don’t beat yourself up about it. Accept it as part of your being, and change it into something positive.

Self love is like the stock market. It’s always fluctuates and can can be frustrating. But with patience and investing of our time and effort, I hope we all can get to a place where we love ourselves and are willing to accept who we are.

Thank you for visiting Très Jean, and until our next rendezvous, it’s been a pleasure.

Jean👊🏾✌🏾