How to Be Yourself

How to be yourself. It sounds pretty easy, doesn’t it? You are who you are.

But are you really?

How many times have you done something differently because of fear of being judged, or because of what other people might think?

I have. Most people probably have at some point in their lives. Probably more than they think.

But why do we care so much about what others think?

We don’t want to be rejected by others, we don’t want to be talked or laughed about. There is a fear of being excluded and not accepted. A fear of not belonging.

It shouldn’t happen, but it does.

We live in a world where we don’t feel free to be who we are. We have to hide parts of ourselves or feel ashamed or embarrassed to be ourselves.

Most of the time we don’t really know who we are. We become accustomed to pleasing others and fitting in that we aren’t sure if we do things for ourselves or for others.

Without understanding yourself and knowing who you are, you will find goals and dreams are harder to achieve and it can be harder to figure out what you want from life.

You ask yourself, “Who am I? What do I want? Why am I here?’

And with no direction it can feel as though you’re always unhappy, never getting anywhere and just feeling like life is going around in circles.

It’s why being yourself is important.

And so is knowing yourself and who you are.

How to be yourself

Figure out who you are. Learn more about yourself

What makes you, you? We all have both good and bad traits. What makes you happy? What are the things in your life that you need as much as you need air? What makes you smile and makes the world seem a better place even when things seem to be going wrong?

Understanding who you are gives you a better understanding of what you want from life and the reasons behind it. It gives you focus because it’s something you want to do, not because of anyone else.

Don’t focus on who you used to be

As life goes on we grow, we change. Let go of who you used to be and look to the future. Let past mistakes stay in the past and stop dwelling on them.

The person you used to be doesn’t have to define who you are now.

It is unhealthy to keep dwelling on things that happened in the past. Acknowledge it and move on.

Don’t compare yourself to others

We do it more often than we should. It’s all too tempting to compare ourselves to others, often without even realising we are doing it.

But it’s not healthy.

There will always be people you wish you could be more like. They seem to have it all and everything you think you want. But you don’t know their story or what it took for them to get to where they are, or what any part of their life is like.

The only thing comparing yourself to others does is makes you feel worse about yourself. Your self confidence takes a dive and you put yourself in the mindset that you will never be good enough.

It will only stop you from growing, and losing your sense of self while trying to be more like someone else. You can’t figure out who you are

Don’t worry about what others think

This can be tough. Especially for people with anxiety, worrying about what others think is a daily battle. It becomes ingrained in us. This fear and belief that we need to please other people or care about what they think.

What really matters, is what you think, what you feel, and doing what’s right for you.

Your aim shouldn’t be to please others.

Express your individuality and what makes you, you

We all have our individual traits and the things that make us unique.

What can you do better than most people? Is there something that you couldn’t possibly imagine never doing for the rest of your life?

Don’t be ashamed to show the world your uniqueness. Wouldn’t it be boring if everyone was exactly the same?

The people around you

Those closest to you can have a large impact on your life and the way you see yourself. If you are surrounded by negative or toxic people, you begin to see yourself like they do. You believe that the negative things they say are true and you will constantly feel down about yourself and try to change or hide the things that make you, you.

You can’t be yourself when you are surrounded by people who are judging you and trying to change you to the person that they think you should be.

If someone is constantly making you feel bad about yourself, judging you and makes you feel like you need to do better to meet their standards, you don’t need them in your life. They are toxic and are trying to strip you of your individuality and trying to force you to be someone you are not.

You slowly begin to hide more and more of yourself, even to others, because you feel the same judgement from everyone and have been made to feel ashamed of who you are.

You shouldn’t have to hide who you are from those around you. You should be comfortable to be yourself.

Appreciate who you are

Always make a note of the things you like about yourself. Practice self care and do things that make you feel good about yourself. Don’t feel guilty about taking time to get to do things that make you happy. It’s important to look after yourself.

Deal with your emotions

Don’t push your emotions away. Acknowledge them and deal with them. Don’t let them consume you. Let yourself feel them.

Learning to accept your emotions can lead to a better understanding of yourself.

Once you can acknowledge your emotions and how it makes you feel, you can focus on your actions without having emotions clouding your decisions.

Get out of your comfort zone

Experiencing new things, pushing yourself and testing the boundaries can tell a lot about who you are and what you can do. Trying new things can give you confidence, and small steps can open your world to new possibilities.

Getting out of your comfort zone can make a huge difference in finding out who you are.

Strive for what you want from life

Being who you are doesn’t mean you can’t grow and change. As long as it’s what you want.

Enjoy life and be yourself

Being yourself should bring you more enjoyment when you can truly be who you are. There should be more joy.

Wouldn’t it be better if we could all be who we are without fear of judgement, without fear of having our actions or thoughts scrutinised at every turn.

Be Yourself Quotes

The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed from the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. – Friedrich Nietzsche

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind. – Bernard M. Maruch

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. – Oscar Wilde

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

About all you can do in life is be who you are. Some people will love you for you. Most will love you for what you can do for them, and some won’t like you at all. – Rita Mae Brown.

Don’t let others box you into their idea of what you should be. A confined identity is a miserable way to exist. Be you and live free. Trust that in living true to yourself, you will attract people that support and love you just as you are. – Jaeda deWalt

It’s not always easy being yourself when it feels as if the world is trying to change you, to conform to who everyone else wants you to be.

The fear of constantly being judged, feeling embarrassed or ashamed, the social pressures and personal anxieties can be bit much and it’s easier to hide it away.

But in the end, what is that going to do to us?

Have you ever felt like you can’t be yourself?