Your relationship with oneself involves self-care, self-acceptance, and self-awareness, among other aspects of your life. It impacts your emotional and mental health, as well as your relationship with others around you.

A healthy relationship with oneself means a healthy relationship with others and a better mental state, which leads to better work productivity.

When you foster a healthy relationship with oneself, you embrace opportunities and strengths. You begin to value yourself for who you are and what you have been through. You also begin to value your social, physical, and mental health.

4 reasons why fostering a healthy relationship with oneself is important

Relating to oneself is often regarded as an afterthought. However, when you practice self-love, you enjoy the great benefits that come with it.

1. Have better relationships with those around you 

The way you treat and view yourself affects how you respond and relate to others. People who care and love for themselves are more likely to do the same for others. Knowing how you should treat yourself affects how you treat others and makes you less likely to develop unhealthy traits or remain in toxic relationships.

2. Better mental health

A better relationship with oneself is often linked to better mental health. Studies have found that patients who engage in therapy for abuse, anxiety, and depression build self-confidence and self-esteem, which improves mental health.

3. Higher productivity

Accepting and liking yourself can boost your productivity levels. Positive emotions lead to energy boosts. Being self-aware means that you know your strengths. This ultimately allows you to tap onto your strengths in developing effective and efficient strategies to get things done.

4. Better problem-solving skills

It is easy to feel overwhelmed by issues when you feel as though you cannot handle them. Not knowing where your strengths lie or not trusting in you capabilities leads to panic when unfavourable situations happen.

When you foster a healthy relationship with yourself, you gain awareness of your strengths and capabilities, as well as understand how to care for others during unfavourable moments. You become more confident in handling challenges and overcoming challenges.

4 strategies to foster a healthy relationship with oneself

Now that we know the benefits of fostering a healthy relationship with oneself, how are some ways we can actually go about improving it? Here are four ways you can follow to understand yourself better.

1. Build a positive inner dialogue

An inner dialogue refers to the conversation you have with yourself throughout your day. A positive, healthy inner dialogue helps you to develop self-confidence, which enables you to better cope with depression and anxiety. An unhealthy inner dialogue leads to lots of negative thinking and shame.

To build a positive inner dialogue, note how you converse with yourself throughout your day. Do you focus on the good things or bad things? Next, try to be grateful for something good that has happened, such as by keeping a gratitude journey that you write in at the end of each day. It is natural to be bothered by certain concerns or bad incidents every now and then. However, focusing on positive matters helps you counter your negative thoughts and to realize how those thoughts may not be accurate.

2. Identify growth opportunities and personal strength

Knowing where your strengths lie helps you to develop self-confidence. Accepting that there will always be room for improvement helps you to be more compassionate and forgiving towards yourself.

You may do so by creating a list of your strengths. If you find it hard to do so, consider approaching family members and close friends for suggestions. If not, sessions with mental health professionals, such as counsellors and therapists, can help you identify personal characteristics and build mastery.

3. Spend some time alone 

Some personal time with oneself may provide the space for inner work and self-assessment. You may want to focus on identifying personal:

• Likes and dislikes

• Life goals

• Core beliefs

• Personal challenges

Personal time may differ between individuals. For some, it might be an hour-long coffee break or walk; for others, it might be attending an exhibition alone or listening to their favourite podcast.

4. Take care of your needs

Caring for yourself is key to fostering a healthy relationship with oneself as well as others. Loving yourself might look like this: 

• Having a well-balanced diet

• Exercising regularly

• Improving sleeping habits

• Finding a new job or upskilling yourself

• Spending time with family and friends

• Practising mindfulness

• Going for therapy

Never wait until you experience a breakdown before seeking help. There is no shame in seeking professional help to better oneself.

Conclusion 

A healthy relationship with oneself helps you better handle mental health difficulties and challenges, as well as unfavourable situations. Practising self-care and self-love leads to improved work productivity and social relationships. If you are looking to develop such essential skills in your life, it would be beneficial to consider doing it with the support of a mental health professional.

At Annabelle Psychology, beyond helping patients with mental health condition, we can help you develop the necessary skills to face life’s challenges. For more information, you may reach us at https://www.annabellepsychology.com/ today!