Simple Ways to Have a Stronger Sense of Self and Lead a Happier and Healthier Life

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The complex nature of mid-life crisis
You can’t avoid it. How can you mitigate and move on from it?

Introduction

A strong sense of self ties to self-love and that means being compassionate to yourself and the people around you. I believe it’s the best way to lead a healthier and happier life. But it can take some time to cultivate a strong sense of self.

I’ve been down that road where it feels like life is hopeless. In the face of mounting pessimism, I had to teach myself to look on the bright side; to see that silver lining in every gray cloud. Here’s the thing – life doesn’t need to be any more depressing than it already is. I’ve come to the shocking realization that adopting unhealthy habits and living a life devoid of joy can affect how I feel about myself.

But even when I was running on autopilot, I knew that something had to change. But unlike most people, I didn’t try to control things I knew I couldn’t. In fact, I was lucky enough to realize that a strong sense of self is crucial to living a happy life.

But the journey to get there is a different story. For starters, the negativity in anyone’s life can be due to various factors. A stronger sense of self allowed me to be grounded and follow the path of healing and self-care.

With a stronger sense of self, I wasn’t afraid of taking on challenges and learned to laugh off every time I fell. Remember, a strong sense of self comes down to better self-awareness and clear self-perception. In my case, it required a lot of objectivity to understand my true self.

It is crucial to understand that my sense of self boils down to “how” I felt at any given time. And this pointed to my self-confidence and self-esteem. In the end, I realized that it is one’s perception that serves as a foundation to build a strong sense of self and live a happier and healthier life. And that’s because a strong sense of self makes me more confident and more ambitious.

Best Ways to Build a Stronger Sense of Self

When it comes to gaining a robust sense of self, there are no short-cuts. Instead, in the quest to become more self-aware, I took a few steps back to see just how far I would have to go to become a better version of myself. Now, throughout my journey, I knew I was going to stumble and that’s fine. My objective was to make sure I’m on the right track and have the support I need to build a stronger sense of self. Today, I am clear. I am best in spreading message of love, a loving mother to a son, a filial daughter to my parents, an asset to my organization and a support to my friends.

Let me shed some light on the best ways to build a strong sense of self that can have a direct and positive impact on anyone’s life:

Self-belief is essential to build resilience

Best Coping Strategies and Added Tips to Make a Fresh Start Out of Your Midlife Crisis

Believe in Yourself

Loving and believing in myself was the first step to achieve a strong sense of self. In fact, the more I believed in myself – the more I managed to strengthen my sense of self. Believing in myself served as the defining factor and had a significant impact on my sense of self. This practice managed to propel me to learn more about my abilities, strengths, and accomplishments. And all these elements reflect my true self.

Do not depend on things beyond your control

Since believing in myself comes from “within” – I learned not to depend on things that are beyond my control. At this point in my life, I received all the support and encouragement I needed to strengthen my sense of self. Still, I continued to learn, listen, and believe in myself over time.

See the uniqueness in you

Once I gained a strong sense of self, I was able to tap into my unique personality and see how I stand out from others. Every individual is different and possess their strengths and unique qualities. As long as I had a strong conviction to find out who I really was, there was no room for negative vibes that might dissuade me in any way.

Hardship and challenges are part and parcel of life

Part of believing in myself has to do with work on my self-confidence and self-awareness to tackle unpredictable and unprecedented hardships in life. But like all human beings, I am bound to face more obstacles. But my goal was to have a clear perspective about myself to get through these challenges.

You can bring value to others wherever you are

Of course, my unconditional love for my friends and family helped me build a strong send of self. The same love helped me focus on my inner sense of belief to render positive energy and build high hopes. Ultimately, I managed to gain a solid sense of self by starting to believe in my abilities and myself.

Learn to Say No

Whether you realize it or not, your willingness to say “no” has a direct impact on your sense of self. The fact of the matter is that life is full of obligations, requirements, demands, and distractions. The key is to have enough wisdom and say “no” to some people.

If the task came in way of my sense of self, then it was better to turn it down. In the end, I learned to be less reluctant and turned down impractical requests from people that might drain my sense of self.

When I started to turn down a request or offer, it created boundaries and allowed people to understand what matters the most to me. Learning to say “no” to unrealistic requests also improved my critical thinking and reduced stress. It is paramount to understand that without a clear state of mind, I never would’ve been able to strengthen my sense of self. So, make sure to set boundaries and limitations concerning your body and mind.

Develop Life-Enriching Hobbies

One of the most straightforward ways to build a strong sense of self is to focus on interests and hobbies that can enrich your life. With life-enriching and life-affirming hobbies, I significantly managed to minimize my stress, combat boredom, and increase self-confidence.

With the “right” hobbies and interests, I was able to learn more about true myself. Think of this as a self-reflective approach to spending more time on activities that can attain a robust sense of self. You don’t want to just be defined by your work or family. On top of spending time on life-enriching interests and hobbies, I started to spend some time with myself.

Value the time spent with yourself

Now, don’t confuse spending time on yourself with cutting off friends and family and self-isolation. Instead, take some time of the day to enjoy some alone time. This approach helped me discover my inner self. For instance, I found out that there is a reason most people feel happiest the most on weekends. It is because the weekend allows people to spend some time with their friends and family and themselves.

Developing a life-long hobby is essential to personal growth

Final Thoughts

Like me, you must think of life as an exciting journey that expects you to make subtle and significant changes. This is how I continue to evolve as a human being. In retrospect, people first need to believe in themselves, cut out negative hobbies, and decline offers that might take up their valuable time.

In time, I started to notice a big difference. In fact, acting in certain ways made me feel much better. I also realized that I can always get help from the people in my life. It took an initiative to further strengthen my sense of self. And before I knew it, I started to look at obstacles as opportunities and made the most out of interactions to express my true self.