The Art of Self-appreciation

Self-appreciation: it isn't rocket science, as many may feel, but that doesn't make it any less complicated. It's easy to constantly feel inferior to others – whether it's about looks, or grades, or personality – and overcoming it is tough. 

There is an abundance of phrases like "You hold the key to your own happiness" and "No one will love you if you don't love yourself", but acting on those words is difficult. There is no magic switch you can flip to shut down your insecurities. There is no shortcut to learning how to value yourself. The path to self-appreciation is a long, tricky one, but there are definitely ways to make the journey easier. 

The first step is a very obvious one: stay away from toxic people. There's often someone in your circle who constantly makes you think less of yourself. Either through words or actions, these people will relentlessly drill into you that you are not good enough. Whether they are friends or family, you need to get as much time as possible away from them. Forget the "sacred bonds" of friendship or blood. If they can't let you be you, they're not worth your time.

"Alone time" can be immensely helpful. It would give you the chance to understand yourself better. Take time to figure out your strong points instead of your weak ones. Everyone has some kind of talent – focus on yours. Sing. Dance. Paint. Sketch. Write fan-fiction about K-Pop singers, if that's what you feel confident with. The aim is to use your time to do something you genuinely enjoy. That way, you will go to bed at night knowing you are good at something, if not a lot of things. It may not be a long-term solution, but it helps combat the negativity one day at a time. 

Talking to someone is a crucial, albeit difficult, step. It takes a lot of trust to open up about your insecurities to others. Also, if you talk about it with one too many people, you will be labelled as an attention-seeker by the highly intelligent members of society. So, explore your options. Talk to your parents, if you are comfortable enough with them. Talk to a close friend, an older sibling, maybe a cousin. And if you don't feel like sharing with anyone you know, there's always the Internet. There are forums with expert listeners who can give quite helpful advice. Also, you can always talk to random strangers and online friends on social media such as Twitter or Tumblr. As long as they don't make any bizarre requests or ask for pictures, the "don't talk to strangers" rule doesn't really apply to the interweb anymore. 

When things get too dark to handle, remember, someone out there smiles at your joy and cries for your sorrows. They may be a parent, a friend, a sibling, a significant other – someone out there loves you unconditionally. To be able to inspire such a fierce, raw emotion in a fellow human being is in itself a great accomplishment, one you should be proud of. Again, there is no straightforward road marked with neon signs that will get you straight out of the great vortex of self-hate and right into a world full of sunshine, daisies, and contentment. 

There will be many obstacles in your way, but instead of despairing at the sheer number of them, practice ways to combat them one at a time, and you will definitely make progress.