How to feel better about yourself: Feel good, feel happy

How to feel better about yourself? A typical reply to this question will revolve around feeling good about yourself by increasing your confidence, self-esteem and levels of happiness but no one talks about the practical aspect. What are the things you should actually be doing to feel good about your own self? This post rips apart the ambiguity and looks at things you can do to feel happy, valued and worth more than a million dollars.

1) Spend time with people who you love: Feel wanted and loved

To paraphrase what Mother Teresa famously said, one of the biggest sufferings in the world is the feeling of not being loved. If you are lucky enough to have loving friends and a family, you can feel good about yourself by spending more time with them.

These are the people who support you, motivate you and stand by you when you need them. Bask in the warmth of your loved ones. People who make fun of you or dominate you are the types of people you should stay away from, especially when you are down and depressed.

2) Dress up and look in the mirror: Admire yourself

Low confidence and self-esteem may often be a result of not knowing how beautiful or handsome you actually are. A bath, grooming, wearing sexy clothes and pulling off a few poses in the mirror may all it take to feel good about yourself.

Indulge in some self appreciation as you stand in front of the mirror and pull model-like poses. Girls can slip into that sexy black dress while guys can appreciate themselves in a nice outfit topped off by a blazer. The idea is to feel sexier and know from deep within that you are beautiful.

3) Look at your most liked pictures on Facebook: Feel socially accepted

Whenever you feel down and out, look through your Facebook albums and pick out some of the most liked pictures or those that have received the most comments.

Looking at these pictures will make you feel good because friends and family have validated them. You will feel socially accepted on a much deeper level.

4) Exercise and keep your body fit: Look good to feel good

Women's magazines and health magazines have stated time and again that exercising regularly helps to maintain a person's physical and emotional balance.

Hit the gym, sweat it out with aerobics, swim a lap or two, attend a yoga class or simply go for a jog in the park – there are different types of exercises and workout routines for just about all ages and bodies.

Find the motivation to build a body that you always wanted by reminding yourself that a healthier body is a sexier body. Keep exercising, be patient and feel better about yourself when others drool at your body in appreciation and envy.

5) Master a hobby: Add value to your existence

Pursuing a hobby is may be seen as a productive way to pass time however it is much more than that. A new hobby will allow you to pick up new skills and also take your mind away from feelings of hurt, pain and depression.

Whether it is gardening, playing a musical instrument or learning a new language, a new hobby will arm you with a new skill set. Over time, you will feel more confident as you develop expertise in that area.

6) Volunteer and involve yourself in charity work: Feel good about your state of life

Volunteering and working for a charitable organization will open your eyes to the poor condition of people who are desperately in need of help. It will open your eyes to a world you never knew and you may feel that your own problems are tiny as compared to the troubles others are facing.

Apart from feeling better about the state of your life, you will also feel good knowing that your efforts made a difference in people's lives.

7) Overcome a fear: Conquer your weakness

Every person is likely to have some fear or other. It can be a fear of heights, fear of giving exams, fear of insects, fear of gulping tablets, fear of public speaking or a fear of birds. Focus and understand where your fear stems from and conquer it.

If you are afraid of heights, find a friend who lives in a high-rise apartment and stand in the apartment's balcony for 15 minutes. If you are afraid of insects, go to your zoo and learn about the different types of insects. If you are afraid of speaking in public, sign up for a debate competition and give it your best shot.

Take the help of friends, family or a counselor if required. Regardless of how small or big your fear is, there is nothing in the world that can stop you if you are able to conquer your own weakness.

8) Look at all your certificates and awards: Feel like an achiever

Flipping through your achievements, certificates and awards will bump up your levels of self-respect and confidence. Do this whenever you are feeling depressed or when you start questioning your worth.

Looking at your achievements will take you back to the moment when you triumphed. For example, even a small award for a 100m school race will make you feel better because you will remember the exact moment you stood up on the podium to receive it.

9) Spend your hard earned money: Go shopping and give yourself a treat

Shopping or retail therapy is humorously seen as a very expensive way to make yourself feel better. Spending your own hard earned money can be a very elating feeling.

Hit the mall or simply go to Amazon.com when you are feeling down and depressed. Within your budget and limits, splurge on your favorite perfume, book, jewelry, dress, shoes or even gadgets.

10) Read inspirational success and rags to riches stories

Everyone loves reading rags to riches stories simply because they deliver a powerful inspirational punch and are also psychologically uplifting. These success stories make readers ponder about their own position in life and in many ways, relate to the story.

Reading more books and autobiographies would be the best way to give yourself a dose of inspiration. If you don't have the time or energy to read entire books, simply look up personalities like Steve Jobs, Justin Bieber, Bill Gates, Sheryl Sandberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger on Google and scan through their life stories.

As you read these rags to riches stories, you may realize that people who were far less fortunate than you are right now, have successfully carved out their spot in history. If they can, so can you.

11) Look at old pictures: Take a trip down memory lane to feel better

Looking through old photographs can give you an instant psychological boost. Relive the happy moments and relive the fond memories.

Regardless of whether you are an 18 year old college girl or a guy in his thirties, pictures from even a few years back will make you smile. You will feel better about yourself because you will feel lucky to have been a part of those memories.

12) Make a list of your skills and qualities: Reaffirm your faith in yourself

Sometimes feeling better about yourself can be as easy as taking a pen and paper, and making a list of all your skills and qualities. You will be amazed at how skillful and talented you are on a passive level.

While making this list you may rekindle a forgotten hobby or pick up a long lost talent. You will feel elevated and pumped in thinking about all your talents.

13) Share your expertise online: Receiving praise and feeling valued

One of the easiest ways of feeling worthwhile is to share your knowledge and skills with the rest of the world. If you are good at something or an expert in a particular area, share it by posting on forums or by making an everyday expert blog.

Whether you are an expert at drawing sketches of other people's faces or you consider yourself to be a proficient movie critic, share your insights with the online community.

You are unlikely to be noticed by the online community in a short time. But as people realize that you know what you are talking about, your list of followers will grow larger than what you can imagine. When hundreds and thousands of people respond to you with gratitude and appreciation, you feel extremely valued.

14) Set a challenge and finish it: Surpass your own expectations

You will get an adrenaline rush when you set a goal for yourself and achieve it. Whether your challenge is to achieve straight As in your midterms, lose a few pounds or get recommended for a job promotion, take it up in all seriousness.

When you finally finish your challenge and achieve your self-set personal goal, you will feel better about yourself knowing that you can be an achiever if you set your mind to it.

15) Give yourself a pep talk: Silence your inner critic

Self-criticism is an important tool in your personality but too much of it can pin you down and make you feel worthless. Whenever you feel that way, look into the mirror and talk to yourself. Give yourself a quick pep talk.

Silence your inner critic by ridiculing all the doubts that your sub-consciousness throws at you. Most athletes talk to their own self while pumping up before a game. Life is a never-ending game and pep talks can be helpful tools in giving yourself self-esteem boosts.