If you were to live with someone or go for a long journey that would last decades, how important would be the nature of your relationship? Wouldn’t you want to take steps to ensure that you two could get along well in a supportive and positive relationship?
In the journey of life, we are often in a long relationship with ourselves — the voice inside our heads.
For most people, self-criticism and the question about being proud of themselves are common problems. And they should not be ignored. Research shows that how we talk to ourselves has a significant impact on our overall mental health. The good news is that the issue of harshly criticizing oneself and self-proud issues can be easily fixed.
In this article, we explore what it means to be proud of yourself and tips on how you can overcome being a harsh critic of yourself through self-compassion.
What Does It Mean to Be Proud of Yourself?
In essence, being proud of oneself means having a strong sense of self-worth, which leads to having a greater passion for life. People who have a strong sense of self-worth are more grateful and feel more content with their lives.
The way we look at situations is never really objective. We all have our filters and styles for explaining phenomena. These transform how we look at the world.
As people grow up, they get conditioned by guardians and parents to absorb certain values as a blueprint with which they understand the world. Values, in this sense, is a collection of principles that guide you. They determine what you consider appropriate and correct in life.
Why Can We Be Self-Critical?
Subconsciously, we use these values as a scoring rubric for assessing others and ourselves in regards to ideals and worth. Depending on your upbringing and the values you have developed over time, you will develop an inner voice that guides your sense of judgment. And the voice can be harshly self-critical at times.
There are times when our perceptions of ourselves do not correlate with the values we hold. For instance, you may be feeling that you have not done your best on a task or you should have tried harder.
Ultimately, your self-critical and subjective valuations of yourself can start to have an impact on your sense of self-worth. This, in turn, shapes the kind of self-talks we have, whether devaluing or supportive.
The bad news is that how we perceive ourselves also have an impact on how we behave. When you constantly feel that you are not good enough, you always try to measure up to the value you consider good enough.
Why Is It Important to Be Proud of Yourself?
Research evidence shows that people who are socially isolated often play an important role in their own isolation. Often, they hold negative expectations of how others should treat them. That leads to preventive, instead of a promotional approach to social interactions.
In other words, with a low sense of self-worth, you are more likely to avoid interactions and self-isolate.
There are many reasons why you should be proud of yourself. Here are some notable ones:
When You’re Proud of Yourself, You’re Happy with Your Life
It is important to emphasize that being proud of yourself does not mean embracing narcissism or being vain. Furthermore, it does not mean putting down others so that you can appear to be superior.
Rather, being proud of yourself means being happy with who you are. And when you have a strong sense of self-worth, you will have better and more fulfilling relationships with others.
When You’re Proud of Yourself, You’re Motivated and Free
Another reason why you should be proud of yourself is that it allows you to be self-motivated. You won’t need constant validation from other people to feel good about yourself. This way, your motivation will not be too reliant on external approval.
As such, you will be free to make your own decisions and shape your own path. You won’t have to sacrifice your interests and need for others’ pleasure.
When You’re Proud of Yourself, You Know Your Worth
Being proud of oneself also ensures that you don’t tolerate disrespect or aggression. You should understand that self-pride is linked to self-esteem. People who know their worth can establish clear boundaries in their relationships. And they are less frightened with threats of abandonment or rejection.
11 Steps to Building Self-Pride:
Self-pride comes naturally for some people because they were raised in a supportive environment. On the other hand, others find it challenging. It is a behavior that should be cultivated over time.
So instead of striving to change those deeply rooted values — a task that can be daunting — you should begin by reducing the effect that those values have on you. This means changing how you view yourself.
1. Accept Your Weaknesses
You have to accept that no one is perfect — even you. Also, you need to understand that there is always room for growth and learning. And mistakes and failures teach us important things and show us the areas for growth.
2. Challenge Your Inner Critic with Self-Compassion
There is no denying that we tend to be our own harshest critics. You should challenge your inner critic if you want to cultivate self-pride. Many people often hide their weaknesses to demonstrate a positive image of themselves.
But self-compassion means increasing understanding and appreciating one’s limitations. Embrace your:
- Flaws
- Imperfections
- Weaknesses
- Features
- And elements of your personality that you can improve on.
3. Know Yourself
Also, remember that, to truly improve your sense of self-pride, you need to know yourself. Of course, self-compassion does not mean ignoring dysfunctional behaviors or attitudes.
However, as you get to know and accept yourself, you can notice those weaknesses that you should focus on in terms of personal growth.
We also recommend using these strategies to be proud of yourself:
- Learn to forgive yourself
- Recognize your strengths and abilities, and appreciate them
- Set realistic goals and work towards them
- Keep practicing to get better
- Know your self-worth
- Feel and express gratitude
- Be patient with yourself
- Be mindful
Final Word on Building Self-Pride and Self-Worth
In this article, we have discussed why self-pride is important if you want to live a fulfilling life and how you can improve your feeling of self-worth. Remember that you deserve to be loved, and the first person to love you is you.
Learn to forgive yourself and embrace your imperfections because you are only human.
If you are going through a hard time, and that affects your mental help, don’t hesitate to seek professional online counseling. A licensed therapist can help you rediscover yourself, teach how and show why to be proud of yourself, and support in your way to living the best life you deserve!
Kate has a B.S. in Psychology and M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University and has worked in healthcare since 2017. She primarily treated depression, anxiety, eating disorders, trauma, and grief, as well as identity, relationship and adjustment issues. Her clinical experience has focused on individual and group counseling, emergency counseling and outreach.
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