Self-loathing.
It’s a terrible feeling.
The best way to describe it is to have an angry, resentful dislike for one’s self—usually due to a person’s current life state, or actions from the past. To be a harsh self-critic who believes that you’re never good enough.
It’s basically the act of hating yourself, disliking yourself, or just in-general believing that you’re not a good, likable, or lovable person.
Most people would agree that self-loathing is bad for you.
And they’re right.
Existing with this kind of self negativity will definitely take its toll on your health and well-being.
So in this post, you’re going to learn 4 tips for how to deal with it and overcome it.
Of course, the number one tip, if you’re dealing with this kind of self negativity, is to seek out professional help.
Sometimes you need the help of a counselor or even a psychologist to help you overcome these types of issues.
Once you start to have a negative opinion of yourself that sinks to a deep enough depth that you could label it as self-loathing, it can be difficult to climb out of it.
This is why it’s so important to seek out help from a professional if you’ve gotten to the point of feeling this way about yourself.
However, these four tips, used in conjunction with help from a professional, may be able to help you.
Let’s talk about it.
1. Understand That Feelings Are Powerful, But That They’re Not Necessarily Reality
When you feel especially powerful feelings about something, it’s easy to believe that those feelings are completely right.
For example, maybe you did something that you regret.
Or maybe you don’t like how you look, or don’t like some other aspect of yourself.
This can, in turn, give you a powerful feeling of self-loathing.
However, it’s really important to take an objective look at the situation, and to realize that your emotions are probably a lot stronger than reality is.
The truth is that nobody is perfect, and everyone has imperfections.
It’s highly likely that your imperfections don’t amount to anything more than anyone else’s.
The key to this, however, is to recognize this as a rational truth—and to learn that your feelings aren’t necessarily telling you the truth.
In other words, don’t believe yourself when you tell yourself that you don’t deserve to love yourself. You deserve it as much as anyone, despite your feelings.
2. Start Treating Others With Exceptional Kindness
Now, this doesn’t mean that you should let other people take advantage of you, or put you down.
It also doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have strict boundaries with other people.
However, performing acts of kindness and goodwill toward other people tends to make us happier with ourselves.
And this can help you to feel better about yourself regardless of why you feel the way you feel.
For example, take a friend out to lunch, and be a listening ear for their problems.
Be willing to listen without offering any prescriptions or advice.
In other words, be a great friend and a great listener, and tell them that you care about them and that they’re doing a great job, no matter what they’re going through.
This type of kindness can really help you to feel better about yourself, and can be very therapeutic.
3. Take Steps To Make Amends Or Address The Problem
Sometimes, our feelings of self-loathing are brought about by guilt.
And in some cases, this can be helped by trying to make amends for what we perceive as being the wrongdoing.
For example, maybe you said something rude to a family member years ago, and now you hate yourself for saying it.
Seeking out that family member and apologizing for the rude comment may actually be extremely helpful and therapeutic in helping you to overcome your feelings of self-loathing.
4. Learn To Let Things Go
There are some types of meditation where you’re instructed to think about the things that are burdening you while you inhale, and then to release those things as you exhale.
This is actually a powerful example of the importance of letting things go.
Sometimes, when we feel feelings of self-loathing, it’s because we can’t let go of things from the past.
But it’s vitally important to understand that as humans, our lives are never going to be perfect.
And sometimes, the only recourse is to just let things go and move on.
Letting things go is a very healthy part of processing life and moving forward.
And as a human, you deserve to forgive yourself and to move on from things that are bothering you about the past.
Try to be kind to yourself, and allow yourself a fresh start.
Conclusion
There you have it.
4 tips for how to overcome self-loathing.
At the end of the day, remember that you’re just as important as anyone else.
You deserve to be happy and to experience health and wellness in life.
So try your best to make it happen for yourself.
It truly matters.
