The More You Love Yourself, The Less You’ll Care

All that matters is your own opinion, your own happiness, your own sense of self.

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When you’re insecure, you’re always looking for validation from a crush or your friends or complete strangers on the internet. You aren’t sure whether you look okay until you’re told you look okay. You aren’t sure whether you should get a haircut or dye it a different color until you get a million different opinions first. But you don’t have to live that way. You don’t have to care what other people think about you.

When you love yourself, you won’t need approval from anyone else anymore. You won’t need a million likes on each selfie. Even if you only get one, it won’t shake your confidence. It won’t convince you to remove the picture from your feed. You’ll still think you looked damn good whether or not anyone else agreed.

When you love yourself, your happiness becomes your first priority. If other people compliment you, then it will put you in an extra good mood, but if they insult you, it won’t be the end of the world. Sure, it will stick suck because you’re still human — but it’s not going to make you question your worth. It’s not going to ruin your entire day.

When you love yourself, you realize your opinion is the only one that matters. Who cares if someone else approves of your hairstyle or your outfit or your career choice? It’s none of their business. It has no impact on their life. All that matters is your own opinion, your own happiness, your own sense of self.

When you love yourself, you aren’t going to spend as much time second-guessing every move you make. You aren’t going to stop and wonder whether your next decision is going to make you look bad or lose friends or get judged. You’re only going to worry about whether it feels right. You’re only going to worry about whether it’s a direction you’re excited about heading with your life.

When you love yourself, the little things roll off your back. You don’t waste time worrying about the worst case scenario. You don’t psych yourself out. You don’t get deathly embarrassed when you stumble over a sentence or spill sauce onto your shirt. You realize everyone makes mistakes. You realize one little fumble doesn’t mean you’re a failure as a person. You realize no one gives a fuck if you mess up because they’re busy worrying about whether they’re going to mess up. You realize it’s okay to be imperfect.

When you love yourself, getting through each day is a little bit easier. Your smile is a little bit wider. Your worries are a little bit lighter.

The more you learn to love yourself, the less fucks you’ll give about all the things you wish you didn’t care about right now. Opinions will stop mattering to you. Attention will stop mattering to you. Being liked will stop mattering to you. You’ll be perfectly happy as long as you’re doing what you love while surrounded by people who you love. Thought Catalog Logo Mark