How to Become your own Best Friend

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We all have that one friend who we can always count on, they’re there through the us and downs, good times and bad, over the years they’ve continually shown you support compassion and kindness, and you couldn’t imagine what you would do without them. Now imagine that friend is you, imagine having always having your own back, imagine addressing your problems and working through them, and imagine supporting yourself no matter what with no forms of judgement. By becoming your own best friend, you increase your self-esteem, reduce anxiety, and improve your mental health. It also strengthens relationships you have with your friends, your family members and romantic partners.

Benefits of Becoming Your Own Best Friend

Becoming your own best friend can also help you become more resilient and better equipped to handle life's challenges which none of us can avoid. By treating yourself with kindness and compassion, you give yourself the chance to build self-trust and confidence from within. This can help you handle setbacks and difficulties in a better way than you might have if you didn’t build a relationship with yourself.

Here are six important ways on how you start becoming your own best friend.

Tips for Becoming Your Own Best Friend

1. Validate Yourself

One of the biggest benefits of becoming your own best friend is that you no longer need validation from others. Instead of looking to others for approval, validate yourself. Do you know what’s impressive? Someone who cares more about impressing themselves by becoming 1% better than who they were yesterday rather than seeking to impress other people. This means recognising you set your own worth by your own standards and acknowledge your own accomplishments. Yes, it’s good to get outside perspectives on certain aspects on your life, however relying on other people’s opinions to give you the green light will stop you from making decisions based on your own values and beliefs.

2. Spend Time with Yourself

It’s hard to know who you really are if you constantly need to distract yourself with the company of others. Spend time alone, doing things that you enjoy. This could be anything from reading a book, watching videos on Youtube, cooking a recipe from scratch, or journaling. By spending time with yourself, you can learn to enjoy your own company and build a sense of self-awareness.

3. Listen to Your Body

Your body can tell you a lot about how you're feeling. If you're feeling stressed or anxious, your body might be tense or your heart might be racing. Listen to your body to understand your emotions and take steps to manage them. Practice techniques to relax your body such as deep breathing, meditation, or engaging in physical activity, such as yoga or running.

4. Don't Take Yourself Too Seriously

Know when to have a laugh the same way you would with a friend. Don't take yourself too seriously! We’re all out here making mistakes and getting it wrong, it's completely normal to mess up sometimes. When you can laugh at yourself, and sweat the small stuff, it gives you the boost to push through most obstacles.

5. Keep Promises to Yourself

Something important while listening to a podcast with Ed Mylett was to not break the promises you make to yourself, and when a man who came from nothing and who now owns a island give you confidence advice, you listen. When you make promises to yourself and keep them, you build self-trust and confidence. This means following through on commitments you made to yourself as you would expect from a friend. If your best friend made promises over a long period of time but never fulfilled them, eventually your friendship would break down from a lack of trust and confidence in the friendship, the same stands in the friendship you have with yourself.

If you promised yourself this was the month you would get in shape, start exercising regularly, eating better or both. If this was the year you decided you were going to give yourself your undivided attention, prioritise self-care and becoming the best version of yourself. By keeping promises to yourself, you show yourself that you are reliable and trustworthy.

6. Other Suggestions

• Practice self-compassion: Treat yourself with the same kindness and care that you would treat a friend who is going through a tough time.

• Set boundaries: Learn to say no to things that don't align with your values or goals.

• Be kind to yourself: Treat yourself with the same kindness and care that you would treat a loved one.

Final thoughts

Remember, becoming your own best friend is a journey, not a destination. It takes time, practice, and patience to build a strong sense of self-worth and self-awareness. But with the right mindset and tools, you can become your own best friend and experience a whole host of benefits, including increased happiness, and reduced anxiety.