On this page, we talk about how you can have a healthy relationship with yourself.

On this page:

• Your relationship with yourself is important
• What you can do to have a better relationship with yourself

The most important relationship you will ever have is with yourself.

It is important to learn to:

• love yourself
• treat yourself with care
• have respect for yourself.

Having a healthy relationship with yourself can give you the power to:

• believe in yourself
• know what you can do
• try new things
• be who you are.

It does not mean you think you are better than other people.

Having a healthy relationship with yourself can even make your other relationships better.

For example, relationships you have with your friends and family.

For some people it can be hard to build a healthy relationship with themselves.

This can include women with disability who have experienced violence or abuse.

Women with disability often face challenges when they try to heal from violence or abuse.

For example, support services can be hard to find and use.

We have information on our website about accessible services.

You can find out more on our page about what it means to be accessible.

Women with disability can also face issues from other people who ignore their intersectionality.

You can find out more on our page about intersectionality.

There are things you can do to have a better relationship with yourself.

We wrote some examples of what you can do.

You can try to understand that you deserve love and respect.

It does not matter:

• what you have done in your life
• what other people think.

You deserve love and respect because you are being yourself.

And you do not have to be perfect.

You can also try to be kind to yourself.

This is often the first step to learning that you deserve love and respect.

You should treat yourself the same way you treat a friend when they are going through a hard time.

For example:

• be kind to yourself
• try not to think badly of yourself
• accept who you are as a person
• learn from your experiences.

When you think about the words you use to talk about yourself, it is easier to build a healthy relationship with yourself.

You should not use words that make you feel:

• bad about yourself
• like you do not deserve love or respect.

For example, you should not say things like ‘I am not good enough’.

You should use words to talk about yourself that make you feel good.

You can say things like ‘I can do this’ or ‘I am enough’.

You should celebrate what you achieve, no matter how big or small it is.

For example, celebrate when you:

• finish a task
• get through a hard day
• work towards a goal you set.

It is a good idea to celebrate the work you do often.

It can help you feel:

• proud of yourself
• good about yourself.

It is also a good idea to work on your own goals.

For example, you might have goals that you want to achieve:

• at work
• in a relationship
• in an activity you like doing.

Working on your own goals can make you feel:

• good about yourself
• happy with what you achieve.

You should aim to have people in your life who:

• support you
• make you happy.

These types of relationships can:

• make you feel like you belong
• support you to feel good about yourself.

It is a good idea to think about the people in your life.

Do they make you feel:

• good about yourself?
• loved?
• important?

It is important to set boundaries in your relationships.

Setting boundaries can help you learn how to:

• put your wellbeing first
• tell people when you do not want to do something.

It is important to make sure people respect your boundaries.

Taking this step will help you feel good about yourself.

It is important to take care of your health and wellbeing.

This includes taking care of your:

• body
• mind
• feelings.

To take care of your health and wellbeing, you should take part in activities that bring you joy.

You should also take part in activities that:

• relax you
• support what your mind and body need.

When you take care of yourself, you teach yourself that you are worth caring for.

There are also services you can use to support your relationship with yourself.

For example, you can get counselling.

When you get counselling, you can learn to:

• understand why you might feel a certain way
• create a plan to understand and manage your feelings.

No one is perfect.

But there is beauty in not being perfect.

The ways people are not perfect or like other people makes them:

• different
• who they are.

Everyone has moments in their life where they might:

• make a mistake
• do something wrong.

But these experiences help people to learn and grow.