Self-esteem is a rare gift today. In a world of social media, where practically our every action is made public, there’s a lot of pressure to look and act a certain way. We’re exposed to countless of retouched images, gossip where celebrities are made fun of for gaining pounds, and mean comments and criticism seemingly everywhere we look. It’s a difficult environment to thrive in, but it can be done. Every person deserves to get in touch with their inner peace and feel good in their own skin, and we’re here to show you how.

If you need a little help lifting your spirits, here are some self-care techniques that you can start practicing.

What is beautiful to you?

You don’t have to let media define what’s attractive – you’ve got a mind of your own, so use it. Yes, we all live in the same society and respond to each other in various ways, but that doesn’t mean that other people get to tell you what looks good and what doesn’t. There are many kinds of beauty, and the fact that there’s so much variety to human beings makes this world a lot more interesting to live in. Find your own kind of beauty and own it.

Let your attitude defeat insecurity

A good attitude is practically the best thing a person can have, and it can help you defeat any kind of insecurity. If you moan and despair about your flaws you’ll never get to accept yourself, but if you start seeing yourself as a work in progress and work towards what you want, then everything will become different.

Make the change on your own

Self-deprecation never got anyone anywhere, so don’t be afraid to do what you need to do to feel good. Maybe it’s going to the gym more often, maybe it’s indulging in meditation, maybe it’s eating better food, or maybe it’s a physical flaw that you want to fix. Something as small as correcting a deviated septum with septoplasty can make you feel so much better because you won’t have to deal with a nasal obstruction anymore. Fixing things that are impacting your health is quite important, but so are changes to our overall appearance. Treating yourself to a spa day and getting a facial, getting a new haircut, or trying new skincare are all valid ways to take care of yourself, work on your beauty, and finally look the way you want to look.

Enhance your best features

What’s your favorite physical feature? Think of something that’s uniquely beautiful about you, and then enhance it. Maybe you’ve got nice hands and a new wristwatch will make people’s eyes turn towards them, or maybe you have good hair and a fun new haircut could show that off. Choose your favorite feature and then put it out there, make people remember you by it.

Stop comparing yourself to others

Someone will always be smarter, or richer, or more beautiful. So what? Embrace your own brilliant mind the way it is, and find joy in simply being who you are. It doesn’t matter what others are doing or thinking as long as you are at peace with yourself and your own beliefs and life choices.

Do something nice every day

Doing nice things for yourself is what self-care is all about, and there’s only one key element you need to keep in mind – will what you’re doing bring your short-term pleasure or long-term happiness? There’s a great difference between getting drunk and saying it’s self-care, and reading a book or doing yoga to relax. Do something that will nourish your soul and your body, not something that you’ll regret the next day.

Compliment yourself and others

Giving out compliments trains your mind to start seeing more positive things. We tend to focus on the negative and judge people around us, but instead of doing that, why not make someone’s day brighter with kind words? Notice that someone has a nice smile or really clever jokes, and make sure to tell them. You can also compliment yourself by writing down a few sweet words into a journal every day.

To gain confidence, you must let positivity come into your life. Instead of obsessing over flaws and wasting your energy on ugly thoughts, embrace kindness and focus on the good things. You’ll thrive as soon as you allow yourself to see how great you are.