Learning How to Work on Yourself

Change is a constant thing that happens to every person. It’s only natural that you should lean into being the best you can be. Still, simply knowing how to work on yourself won’t do anything unless you choose to put those techniques into practice. Improving yourself means bettering your quality of life — through relationships and how you speak to yourself internally. Strive to become a better person to see a realistic change that will follow you throughout your life.

What Improving as a Person Means

You should always strive for growth. You want to continue evolving into the best person you can be, which might mean that you experience growing pains. Still, learning how to work on yourself is one of the most important things you can do in your entire lifetime. It’s all about becoming a better person. You should strive to continue improving every year of your life.

To truly grow as a person, you have to learn how to prioritize yourself and the things in your life. Learning how to work on yourself doesn’t mean that you shun everyone else in your life. Instead, you should prioritize your relationships with other people and learn how to be a better friend, partner or family member. You should also focus on the things within yourself that you can improve, whether that’s a bad habit or a string of negative thoughts. When you prioritize your growth, you’ll see results follow.

“Glowing up” is the term typically used by people who want to make themselves look better physically. This practice typically involves an array of skincare products that will help a person achieve the right “glow,” ones that can aid in suppressing oily skin or make care for themselves look effortless. 

Still, this term can also apply to people who want to eat better and develop deeper relationships with the people they love. You can implement a few strategies to have a “glow up” of your own and help you change into the person you want to be.

How to Work on Yourself

Knowing how to work on yourself is one of the most valuable pieces of knowledge a person can have. You’re unstoppable when you know how to improve your quality of life and the relationships around you. It takes a lot of strength to know when you can improve and make the conscious decision to change the way you go through life. Try these techniques out to see which of them help you foster change and growth.

1. Read a Book

Sometimes, reading a book and getting your mind away from the present can help you sort through tricky situations in your life, even if it’s not consciously. Fiction books can mirror problems that you have in your own life, and you might learn some takeaways from how the characters deal with their issues. Otherwise, you can opt for nonfiction self-help books to guide you in the right direction.

Some self-help and self-improvement books can be more detrimental to you than effective. Always keep an eye out for the ones that seem egotistical and avoid them — you want the books that genuinely try to help others. The book that you choose to use should reflect the goals you want to achieve and the areas of your life you want to improve. 

2. Adhere to a Routine

Once you have a routine for your mornings and evenings, you’ll start to follow procedures that you know are better for you in the long run. Consider doing some meal prepping or light exercise right after waking up to ensure that you set the tone for the rest of your day. Learning how to work on yourself doesn’t just mean the mental and emotional aspects of you — it could mean the physical, too, if you want it to. “Glowing up” can look like whatever you want it to look like.

Since routines are healthy habits to create, they may open doors for other healthy habits, too. You may start to eat healthier, more balanced breakfasts to set yourself up for the day. You might even begin implementing exercise into your daily life, even if you can’t squeeze it into your morning routine. When you pick up a routine, it might be difficult to adjust to. One thing that can keep you propelling forward is knowing how much improvement you’ve shown since starting your routine.

3. Seek Therapy

Therapy is a great way to start changing your life for the better. It can benefit your relationships just as much as it improves your quality of life. You have a professional to help you work your way through life and learn the strategies and coping mechanisms to take care of yourself. Still, the people around you also get to see you as a happier version of yourself who has learned more interpersonal skills and how to communicate their emotions better.

4. Ask Others for Feedback

It might be tough to hear constructive feedback from your loved ones, but sometimes you need to hear it. They have a firsthand account of how your relationship with them looks and can tell you of any improvements they’d like to see you make. Make sure you remember that they’re coming from a place of love. They’re not just telling you things to upset you. Implement the constructive feedback how you can, and you should see improvements in your relationships.

5. Start Meditating

Meditating only takes a couple of minutes each day in a quiet room as you focus on the present space and your breathing. If you start to meditate regularly, you may notice that your memory has improved and that you have less stress. Both are common occurrences in people who tend to meditate frequently, as they know how to regulate their emotions and focus better. 

Over time, those skills translate to less stress and worry bogging you down, and since you’re able to focus more on the present, you’ll make better, longer-lasting memories. You might also take less time to fall asleep — which can be great if you have issues falling and staying asleep.

Aim to Make a Change

People never stop growing throughout their lives. You will be changing for years to come, so it’s important to get used to the feeling now. You may not want to step out of your comfort zone, but knowing how to work on yourself can lead you to transform from a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly. Change might feel uncomfortable, but through it, you can learn to love yourself and treat the people around you better. Overall, working on yourself means living a fuller life.