Self-love is one of those things we all need, but only a few people have it. The journey to loving yourself is a tedious yet necessary process. To help you out a little, here’s a list of tips to help you trick your mind into loving yourself: 

Go easy on yourself 

Meet yourself where you are. Tell yourself the truth, and if you can help it, ask why you feel the way you do about yourself. The point of this is to understand the root cause of the problem and combat it. 

Less negative talk about yourself 

Negative self-talk is one of the first things you’d have to let go of on the journey to self-love. The mind absorbs things and goes on to manifest them. If you believe your body is ugly, your mind will always remind you of it. This is where the trick comes in. Challenge negative self-talk with positive affirmations, or try not to think about them. 

Remove things that make you feel bad about yourself

This can include cutting off friends who make snide comments and jokes about your body. You could also do a social media cleanse where you remove accounts you don’t resonate with from your various timelines. This way, you get to control the energy you receive. 

RELATED: Maybe You Should Cut Your Bad Friends Some Slack? Here’s Why

Take more pictures 

Learn to take more pictures of yourself. It helps you see yourself. You might not like the picture at the moment, but after a while, you’ll wonder why you hated it. 

Look in the mirror 

Don’t avoid the mirror. It helps you in the same way taking pictures does. Over time, you will accept what you see in the mirror, and that acceptance will grow into love. 

RELATED: #ToHER: I Waited Too Long to Love Myself

Talk to your friends 

Self-love is not an individual thing. It requires the help of those around you. Share your issues with them and allow them to affirm you whenever possible. 

Therapy 

If you can, try therapy. It always helps. You hav to remember that the process is not linear, but your therapist will be there to guide you through it. 

As you figure out how to trick your mind, remember you’re not alone. Here’s an article of Nigerian women talking about their favorite parts of their body

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