"When people take the time to love themselves each and every day, it is amazing how much their lives improve. They feel better and their relationships improve. Loving yourself brings around only positive relationships. You’ll find that the negative ones, slowly fade out and new, optimistic ones enter your life. Loving yourself is an exhilarating adventure, whether you’re with someone currently or not."

Louise Hay's Guide to Loving Yourself: 1. Stop Criticizing Yourself. Criticism never changes a thing. Refuse to criticize yourself. Accept yourself exactly as you are. Everybody changes. When you criticize yourself, your changes are negative. When you approve of yourself, your changes are positive. 2. Let Go. Stop living in the past. Don’t blame yourself for decisions you made before. You did the best you could with the knowledge you had. Now you are growing and changing, and you will live life differently. Forgive yourself. 3. Get Rid of Fearful Thoughts. Stop terrorizing yourself with your thoughts. You make situations worse by doing so. Think of something that makes you happy and switch from that fearful thought to a gratifying one. 4. Be Gentle, Kind and Patient. Be gentle with yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be patient with yourself. Impatience is a resistance to learning. Inhale and exhale. Don’t berate yourself, we all make mistakes. It’s OK to make a mistake. Learn from the experience and grow toward a new present. Remind yourself to meditate at least 5 minutes a day.  5. Be Kind to Your Mind. Self-hatred is only hating your own thoughts. Don’t hate yourself for having the thoughts. Gently change your thoughts to something more positive. As I love and approve of myself and others, my life gets better and better. 6. Praise Yourself. Criticism breaks down the inner spirit. Praise builds it up. Praise yourself as much as you can. Tell yourself how well you are doing with every little thing, no matter how insignificant. 7. Support Yourself. Find ways to support yourself. Reach out to friends and allow them to help you. Strength is found in asking for help. Join a program to seek help.  8. Treat Your Body Well. Incorporate good nutrition and exercise into your life. Think of food as fuel for your body. What fuel does your body need to have optimum energy and vitality? Get outside. What exercises do you enjoy? Incorporate it daily. Cherish and respect the temple you live in. 9. Practice Mirror Work. Look into your eyes often. Express the love you have for yourself. Tell yourself how wonderful your life is. At least once a day, say, “I love you, I really love you!” 10. Love Yourself… Do It Right Now. Don’t wait until you get well, or lose the weight, or get the new job, or find the new relationship. Begin now—do it for yourself. You’ll feel so much better and everything else will fall into place.  11. Have Fun. Find the things that make you laugh. Remember when you were a child, what things made you joyful? Find them and enjoy them again. Laughter is the best medicine. Life isn’t meant to be so serious all the time.  12. Love Others. When you express love to yourself, it is easier to love others. Let’s only express love and gratitude to those around us. The Universe will send love back. Don’t blame others or react to them. If we send out love, we will only receive it.  Let’s affirm: I see myself as a magnificent being who is wise and beautiful. I love what I see in me.