For the past several years of my life, I have had to learn how to deal with hate. Specifically, how to deal with hate that comes from those who are closest to you. Sure, it's easy most of the time to disregard the hate and negativity that comes from strangers, but when it's your friends, family, or romantic partner, it can be a lot harder. Absolutely nothing hurts more than having someone so close to you make you feel degraded, weak, or stupid. This can be a hard thing to overcome, but here are just a few things to keep in mind in dealing with hate from others around you.

1. It's Your Life.

At the end of the day, it is your life, not theirs, and you should live it how you want to. If your family and friends are truly concerned with your well being, that's one thing. But, if they are constantly telling you how to live, what to do, who to be, that is something you shouldn't let get to you. At the end of the day, you have to do what is going to be the best for you, and what is going to bring you the most happiness, and if someone doesn't approve, that's their problem. Don't mold your life to fit the expectations or desires of others about how you should be. Just be you. Just do your thing.

2. It is Okay to Shut Out the Haters.

This is a big lesson I've had to learn over the years. I used to be the type of person who would let people walk all over me without any consequence, and all that brought me was more pain. Today, I've learned that sometimes it can be okay to block people, or shut them out of your life. If an individual is truly dragging you down, whether it be friends or family, sometimes you have to just let them go and continue on your path of life. Whether it be mentally blocking them out, or actually barring their contact with you, blocking out the haters is okay.

3. Don't Let Past Hate Haunt You.

This is another big lesson I've had to learn over the years. In fact, every day I am still learning to implement this into my personal life. So many times we let things that people did or said to us in the past haunt us into the future. There have actually been instances where years later, I was still judging myself based on something that someone said to me ages ago. That is not okay. That is not healthy. There are always going to be people in your life who don't approve of every decision you make, and there are going to be people who voice those opinions louder than others. Let it roll off your shoulders. Don't carry the hate around with you, because that baggage can get really heavy, really fast. Forget about past hate. Focus on your present self and where you will be going in the future.

While it is almost impossible to escape hate altogether, it is possible to manage how it affects your life. Don't let negativity from other people dictate how you live your life, or how you think about yourself. It's your life, not theirs, so keep doing you and don't let anyone hold you back.