The first thing that comes to mind when we think about relationships is, of course, our romantic partners. But all relationships are important, even if they aren't romantic ones. For instance, the relationship you have with yourself affects the way you feel about yourself and the way others perceive you. If this relationship isn't strong or healthy, it can have negative consequences for your mental health and well-being over time—but if it is strong and healthy? Well then that's a different story! Here are some ways having a great relationship with yourself can benefit your life:
You can sit with your thoughts and understand where they come from.
You can sit with your thoughts and understand where they come from.
Doing so helps you to learn to observe your thoughts without judgment. When you learn how to do this, you are able to see when a thought comes into your head, notice its content and then let it go without believing that it is true or acting on it. This allows you to be less reactive in your daily life.
You're able to identify your needs more easily.
The more you know yourself, the easier it is to identify your needs. Once you do take the time to get to know yourself better, your ability to meet those needs will be greatly improved.
Have you ever wondered why some people are so eager to jump into a relationship right away? It could be because they have never learned how to care for themselves properly. Without a strong sense of self-necessity, it's easy for someone who isn't used to giving themselves what they need or want in life might feel anxious about being alone.
But if this person finds someone who makes them happy and fills up their life with love and fulfillment, then all of that anxiety goes away as soon as they realize there's enough love in this relationship where both people can receive what they need from each other.Read More
You can learn to trust yourself more.
It's easy to see why. If you don't have a positive relationship with yourself, how can you trust yourself? And if you don't trust yourself, how can your partner trust you?
A good relationship with yourself means that you're able to listen to what your body, mind and emotions are telling you. This allows them to be honest with themselves in order to help them make better choices for their lives.
You spend less time feeling guilty for satisfying your own needs.
It’s important to remember that you can’t please everyone all the time. If your goal is to be a good parent, partner, friend and employee, then you need to take care of yourself first. In fact, if you don’t put yourself first sometimes — and mean it — then those around you won't get what they need from you either.
Your well-being matters! Self-care is essential if we want our relationships with others (and ourselves) to flourish. When we prioritize our mental health and physical well-being through self-love practices like meditation or yoga, everything else seems easier: taking care of other people becomes more enjoyable because we are present; working hard at work feels more rewarding because there are satisfying moments when we feel less stressed; and making wise choices in life feels empowering rather than burdensome.
You have a better understanding of your own strengths and weaknesses.
Self-awareness is one of the most important things you can have in a relationship. If you're not aware of who you are as a person, it can be difficult for your partner to understand and appreciate your strengths and weaknesses. Self-awareness gives us an understanding of how we think, feel and react to situations—and it helps us know what motivates us. Our partners should also be self-aware so that they can communicate with us more effectively (and vice versa).
That said, there are some things about ourselves that we might not want our significant others to know—we may have a secret chocolate addiction or maybe we tear up at commercials featuring animals playing sports. In these cases (and with any other personal information), it's important to take care in sharing such details with our loved ones.
Your stress levels decrease.
It's easier to control your own emotions when you know how to manage them. You'll be able to take time to relax and recover after a stressful day, rather than letting stress build up and overwhelm you. This will help keep your stress levels low overall, which means that other people's stress won't affect you as much.
Your boundaries become clearer and easier to respect.
Your boundaries become clearer and easier to respect.
You begin to see how well-meaning people are actually impacting your life.
You learn that people who don't respect your boundaries aren't worth the effort of trying to understand them or their perspectives.
Boundaries are important for a healthy relationship with yourself because they help us define ourselves and our needs in relation to others, so that we can get what we need while also taking into consideration the needs of other people around us. Our boundaries can be physical (how close I stand when talking), emotional (how much time I spend with someone), mental (what thoughts and beliefs are okay for me), spiritual (what values matter most), financial (what money I spend on things) or any combination thereof! Setting clear boundaries is an act of self love because it means that you're taking care of yourself first by not letting anyone else take advantage or manipulate you into compromising yourself just so they feel better about themselves or whatever it is they want from you at that moment in time!"
Your relationships with others become more stable, because you already have a strong relationship with yourself.
When you have a strong relationship with yourself, it's easier to communicate your needs and feelings to others. You know how much time you need to recharge after a day of work and can set healthy boundaries with those around you. You can tell the difference between someone who is treating you well and someone who isn't, so when they cross a boundary (such as spending too much time together), your intuition will alert you that something is off. Your intuition also helps guide decision-making in relationships: if something feels off, trust that feeling!
When we're happier with ourselves, we're better able to give love and attention to others—and receive love back from them.
It's hard to feel good about yourself when you don't know yourself well enough to do so, but the reverse is not true!
Imagine you're out to dinner with a group of friends, but the restaurant is so loud that it's hard for anyone to hear each other. To be able to hear one another, you all have to lean in closer and speak louder. When two people are having a conversation in this analogously noisy environment, they need to work harder at hearing each other than they would otherwise—and if they don't know how, they may end up feeling frustrated and angry.
This analogy can help us understand why building a relationship with yourself is important: if you want to feel good about yourself, it's crucial that your "inner voice" stays clear so that you can accurately hear your own needs and wants. If there were something wrong with how the restaurant was set up (maybe the tables were too close together), then no amount of leaning in would solve the problem; only rearranging things could do so! In order for this issue between friends—this issue between ourselves as well—to be solved properly requires self-awareness on both sides: knowing what our own boundaries are and respecting them accordingly when communicating with others (or ourselves).
I know that building a relationship with yourself can feel intimidating, but it's worth it! Remember that you're not alone in this journey—and don't get discouraged if you feel unsure of where to start. Start small by identifying one or two things that resonate with you above all others and focus on those first. The best thing about taking care of yourself is that once you've started down this path, there are no limits to where it can take you...
