Traits of Happy People
They listen to their emotions.
The majority of people choose between two options for their emotions: numbing or venting. Oftentimes, it is a combination of both that wins out, which means numbing them until such times as a venting explosion occurs.
Self-loving people take a very different approach, which is to accept each emotion as a part of communication, which they then try to decode. With this approach, emotions act as signposts or helpful guides as opposed to road blocks on the path to self-discovery.
They take responsibility instead of blaming others.
When a situation arises, a self-loving person will look for responsibility over blame. The act of finding someone to blame uses up time that could be better spent looking for a solution to the problem. By being prepared to accept responsibility, self-loving people learn to be accepting and encouraging of change, which are much better and healthier alternatives to suffering and stressing. This DOES NOT mean taking all the blame all the time (especially when abuse is involved). It simply means being open to looking for any responsibility you do have.
They feed their passions and talents.
Most people feel inexorably drawn towards some sort of hobby or activity. In most cases it is a gentle tug, but in others, the allure is too strong to ignore. Self-loving people are aware of that tug, and they recognize it as something that is important to their overall happiness. Self-loving people find a little bit of time every day to devote to doing what they love, as well as to exploring new interests.
They spend time alone.
People who have unhealthy or abusive relationships with themselves are often those who do not like to spend any time alone. The moment that they are left alone is when negative thoughts and feelings immediately begin to creep in. They will seek out contact to avoid having to deal with those thoughts. Self-loving people cherish the moments they get to themselves, and will go out of their way to ensure that their schedule has time that they can be alone with their thoughts and feelings.
They sleep on it.
The more respect we have for ourselves, the easier it becomes to make long-term goals. While others go in search of instant gratification, self-loving people take the time to sleep on decisions while weighing their options. It may seem counterintuitive, but taking time to delay gratification can lead to us enjoying our lives every single day, especially when we are aware of our long-term goals and the gratification that will come with achieving them.
They teach people how to treat them and walk away if they cannot.
Those who don’t know how to love and respect themselves will instead look for approval from others. Asking other people to deliver these things to us means that we essentially have no respect for ourselves, or for those who try to fill those needs.
Self-loving people have also learned to become totally self-sufficient. Not only do they know what they need to feel respected, they also know what it is they have to offer to others. They make it clear, albeit in a gentle way, when boundaries are being crossed. If it happens too often, they have the courage to simply walk away.
They admit their mistakes.
People lacking in self-respect spend countless hours measuring themselves against standards set by others. What that often boils down to is being “right.” Good feelings only come when these people are right, with the rest of the time spent feeling miserable. This is because they have allowed their whole life to become consumed by these labels. Self-loving people are more concerned with things that will become a permanent part of their life as opposed to moments that bring a temporary feeling of some kind. These people find it easier to work on self-improvement because they never lose their feelings of self-love.
Are you following these self-loving practices? If not, you may think about learning ways to love yourself. These are things that I work on with people every day. Being happy is an important part of a happy marriage, raising happy kids, and, well…the list goes on. With my tools and your desire, you can move towards the journey of self-discovery to find out what truly makes you happy. And then, most importantly, I can help you figure out how to make the decisions to get to that journey and stay on that path.