7 Signs You Treat Yourself With Respect
Have you ever heard someone say that another person has no self-respect? Or have you ever been told “Respect yourself”? But what does it mean to respect yourself? In the mouths of others, self-respect is rarely associated with true self-care. “Respecting oneself” very often implies a scale of personal values which, if not respected, would induce indignity and disrespect towards oneself.
“When a person respects themselves, they have accepted themselves and think that they deserve to belong to the world,” summarizes Divya Robin, psychotherapist, for PsychCentral. We are made to have connection and a sense of belonging, which is why belonging and self-acceptance are incredibly important for psychological health also. » But how do we know concretely if we respect ourselves?
7 behaviors specific to self-respect
“A healthy level of self-respect gives us the confidence to make choices that align with our values, what we stand for, and allows us to maintain a sense of agency and autonomy in our lives,” writes Nawal Mustafa, doctoral student in neuropsychology, in a publication on Instagram.
Because without self-respect, we risk finding ourselves in situations that harm our mental health, contribute to our self-sabotage and lead to low self-esteemit is important to recognize self-respect. If you adopt the following behaviors, you are being respectful to yourself:
- Walk away from people who make you feel unworthy, unsettled, and self-doubting.
- Express yourself on topics that are important to you.
- Know your priorities and say no to anything that doesn’t match them, even when it’s tempting to say yes.
- Keep the promises you made to yourself.
- Allow yourself to let go of what no longer suits you and no longer resembles you.
- Forgiving yourself for the mistakes you’ve made and improving yourself instead of blaming yourself.
- Do what aligns with your values, even if it goes against other people’s expectations.
The benefits of self-respect
Not adopting behaviors that contribute to self-respect can push us to give too much importance to what others think of us. People who lack self-respect let others define them and are more concerned with how others perceive them than with what actually matters to them, says clinical psychologist Judith Zackson. Very Well Mind. This cultivates a negative view of oneself and prevents find meaning in our existence.
Conversely, self-respect leads in particular to respect for one’s personal values, the ability to respect one’s limits and a feeling of inner happiness. People who respect themselves understand that they must first look inward to discover their worth, self-esteem and happiness rather than outward, assures Judith Zackson.