Sometimes we find it so very hard to simply like ourselves. We try too hard to pretend to be someone other than our true selves, and we even try to convince ourselves that we are somebody else. We put up layers of defenses, and strongly need to be seen in a certain way. We feel that we cannot afford others to see our real selves. We fear that we may turn out to be inadequate in some way. We feel very vulnerable.

Sometimes we resort to bullying, or boasting, or shying away, or aggressiveness, or cunningness or mistrust in order to cover up the fact that we don't dare to show our true selves to anyone. This comes from a very deep-rooted lack of confidence in oneself, an inability to like ourselves just as we are.

It is very important to look in the mirror each day and tell ourselves that we are okay. Sometimes we forget to do this, sometimes we cannot truly believe it. We often let other people tell us that we are not okay. We don't remember that everyone, at some point or the other, had to face experiences that involved others telling or implying that they were inadequate. Yet, the happy ones knew that it didn't matter. They knew that they were okay - their past, their looks, their achievements, their relatives, their possessions, their ambitions, their education, their talents were all secondary things that didn't matter. Only we matter, only our values matter.

So how can we truly learn to like ourselves? How can we get past decades of learning that tells us that we need to do, be or have something in order to be lovable? How can we look into our inner self, the one that we had ever since we were babies, and accept it as it is? Here are five tips to try. Read the full article here.