‘I Hate Myself’: How to Stop Self-Pity and Love Yourself

If I claim that I hate myself, does it mean that I truly have a dislike for my life or does it mean I’m indulging in a pity party? It’s time to stop both!

The statement ‘I hate myself‘ doesn’t usually mean you truly do.

Most of the time, this statement is used to express extreme disappointment in some aspects of your life. Perhaps you’ve encountered numerous failures in a short period of time, or maybe you’ve not been able to understand why someone isn’t returning your calls. I have experienced these and more, and I have definitely been guilty of feeling like I hate myself.

But it’s just not appropriate or healthy behavior, and we should stop doing this, right now! We should abandon the desire to be perfect because frankly, perfection does not exist. We should also remember that we cannot love ourselves 100% of the time and that disappointments will come and yes, they will go.

So, let’s try this one step at a time to experience our full potential.

Be better/Do better

Now, when I say be better, I not trying to convince you that you aren’t good enough. What I mean is to do better at loving yourself. There are a few ways you can stop self-pity and see yourself in a whole new light. Try these and stop hating yourself!

Try saying “No”

I bet this tip seems strange to you, doesn’t it? Well, the way this works is interesting. The reason why we have such a problem with saying “no” is because we hate to let other people down. We want to always please others and this is because we care about how they think. Here’s a secret: those who hate saying “no” have fragile personalities which depend on how they are perceived.

If they say “yes” all the time, those people will love them and thus, boost their self-esteem. When we learn to say “no”, it means we have finally developed the strength to speak honestly with no fear of how we’re being seen by others.

Expose your dark side

Here’s another way to stop that self-pity right away. You need to expose your dark side, and what I mean about that is to expose your less-than-savory aspects of yourself.

Showing your human side to others, whether it’s your mate, your best friend or a family member, helps you to get the “big uglies” out in the open, early on. Once you expose your imperfections, you will have nothing left to hate, so then you can be happier about yourself.

Forgiveness

One reason why we might feel like we hate ourselves is that we’ve done something wrong, or something that we regret. Our past could be full of indiscretions that we wish to hold onto and beat ourselves over the head with, but we just cannot continue to do that.

Forgiveness gives us the reason to carry on and do better in our lives. Aha, remember….do better/be better?

Unforgiveness has not only caused many of us to drown in pity but also puts a strain on relationships and affects our health. Once you have found the strength to forgive yourself, you will begin to rebuild a healthy image.

Stop trying to figure it out!

Now, you might hate yourself and then, at times, you could have a lofty image of who you are. Look, the truth is, neither of these images is true. You are not special and you are not vile, you are simply a human being.

Also, it’s impossible to really see yourself as the world does, so it’s pointless to hate yourself. But not to worry, being special isn’t all that grand, it comes with expectations that are way too high.

Relax!

Do you know how much energy it probably takes to hate yourself? I mean, think about all the nasty negative thoughts you have about yourself.

Think of all the criticism and all the time spent trying to find ways to improve how you look and sound to other people. Think of all the money you spend trying to dress better and all the time you try to make new friends. And, the thing is, these new friends can sense this negativity and desperation too.

So, why not relax. Why not accept who you are and enjoy life. Guess what! The right people will like you and you won’t even have to try to get their attention. Take a nap, watch a movie or read a book, and don’t worry about what others think.

Help others

One of the most miraculous ways of learning to love yourself is to help others. Helping other people shows your life in a different perspective.

You are able to see other lives and problems, some of them more difficult than your own life. You will also gain a sense of peace knowing you have helped someone and given them a good feeling to pass on as well.

Fail on purpose

This is the only way you will stop self-pity and negative thoughts about yourself, even when things do not go your way. If you fail enough, you will get tired of being angry and negative and instead, you will build a strength to endure.

Then when good times return, you know how to truly celebrate and show appreciation for the positive aspects of life. Go ahead and harden your reserves and soften your heart!

Stop hating yourself and dwell in love instead

Hey, I know it’s not easy to be positive all the time. In fact, it’s impossible. But hating yourself will never solve anything, and it will drag you down more and more until you have become hopeless and bitter.

Be real with yourself, be honest, and most of all, love yourself. This is what will help you understand the truth of who you are and eventually get rid of self-hate.

You are a beautiful individual!

References:

1. https://www.psychologytoday.com