In our lives, we face so many things that make us feel inferior or not good enough. We all deserve to be able to love ourselves regardless of our faults and flaws. Self-love is probably one of the hardest things we can ever practice, but as the saying goes, the more you practice something, the easier it gets. Here I listed five tips that I find helpful in creating and sustaining self-love. These tips will hopefully make obtaining a good relationship with yourself a little easier.

5. Stop with the self-deprecating humor!

It's always nice to keep our egos in check in order to prevent ourselves from becoming arrogant people, but there needs to be a limit. Being humble is great, but constantly pointing to garbage bags and yelling "me!!!" isn't the best way to build up our confidence. A lot of times, the more we say things, the more we start to believe them. When we cut down on the self-deprecating humor (I'm not saying throw it out completely because, c'mon, it's funny sometimes) and constant insults to ourselves, we will create a more positive and healthy bubble around us.

4. Say NOOOO to comparing yourself to others.

Humans are insatiable beings; we are always wanting and desiring more than what we have. Even when we reach our goals, we still are aspiring for more. This ambition can be a great incentive for us to be the best people we can be, but often times, this isn't the case. We fall victim to wanting what others have and comparing where we are in life to where others are. We are all individuals; this means that we all are going to be different and do things at different times. Try and appreciate where you are in life and what you have accomplished. If you still desire more, because hey we are human, then change for yourself and not anyone else.

3. Surround yourself with good F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

We have all heard the saying, "you can't pick your family, but you can pick your friends." Friends are the people we choose to be in our lives. We pick these people to share in our love, laughter, secrets, embarrassing stories, hardships, and all other tidbits of random information from our lives (we all have that one friend or are that one friend who texts their buddies from the toilet). If we have the ability to choose these people, why should we choose bad ones? We all deserve friends who solely bring us up and never push us down. Surround yourself with people who will aid your self-love journey, and be a friend who aids them in theirs.

2. Be your own best friend.

Having amazing friends is important, but ultimately, we are the ones who are going to be there for ourselves 100% of the time. We are there for every single tear we shed, every single time we feel alone or hurt, and every single time we lie and say we are "ok" when we really are not ok. We must be able to pick up the pieces of our lives, even when we are picking them up alone. Our lives are made up of relationships, the most important one being with ourself.

1. Be gentle with yourself.

While doing all of these things to boost our confidence and improve our relationships with ourselves, it's totally normal to mess up. Especially, if we are in a habit of doing things to bring ourselves down, it is hard to break the cycle. As long as you are trying to better yourself, that's all that matters. If you start degrading and hating yourself for slipping up, then all the work you have put into building yourself up will come crashing down. Be gentle with yourself.