Have you ever had the experience where you wake up feeling good about yourself, but then you stand in front of the mirror, and the negative thoughts creep in?

If yes, you may have a poor self-image which has become quite common in today's modern world.

I know for me, it became harder to love myself after having children.  My body was not the same and my self-confidence really paid the price!

So, how to start loving who you see in the mirror?

The only answer to this question is to love yourself truly. What happens when you love yourself? Your life gets better, you feel better, and everything around you seems so much more positive. On the other hand, if you keep the negative self-image your chances of reaching goals and making dreams come true are close to zero.

Yes, loving yourself takes time and effort, but it is also an incredible adventure that will bring you plenty of benefits. So, open your mind and embrace the potential life-changing improvements that self-love can give to you.

Here are five easy ways to help you love who you see in the mirror:

1. Let Go of the Past

The first thing you should do to start loving yourself and improve your self-image is to let it go. Dwelling on the past will only make the situation worse, and you will fall even deeper into self-criticism. Instead, take a few moments, think about your past mistakes and learn something from them.

Remind yourself that you are merely a person trying different things and that it is entirely natural to make mistakes sometimes. No one is perfect! We are all human! Learn to see errors as part of the learning experience, forgive yourself, and let them go.

2. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

Next, you should stop comparing yourself to other people if you don't want to continue damaging your self-image. Remember that every person on this planet is different, so comparing yourself to others doesn't really make any sense. The truth is, you cannot really start loving who you see in the mirror if you are continually trying to look like someone else, to be someone else.

So, remind yourself that everyone in this world, including you, has their good and, let's say, not so good qualities. That being said, focus on finding your good attributes and try to improve the ones that you don't really like. And, next time you see yourself in the mirror compare yourself to the person you were yesterday.

3. Give Your Appearance a Little Boost

The third way you can improve your self-image is to help yourself feel better about the way you look. It is true that happiness comes from the inside, but we sometimes need to give our appearance a little boost to feel joy from the outside, too.

There are numerous ways you can do so. For example, you can go to your favorite salon and get a new haircut. Alternatively, you can go shopping and buy yourself some new clothing items which will help you feel more confident, motivated, stronger, and happier. Haircut and clothes seem like trivial things, but they will instantly change the way you look yourself in the mirror, for sure. I always look at going to get my hair done as an opportunity to reinvent myself (my hairdresser hates me!!)

4. Start Appreciating Yourself

Start appreciating yourself and giving yourself credit is the fourth way to help you truly love yourself and the person you see in the mirror. We already mentioned that you shouldn't dwell on your past mistakes and everything that went wrong. But, it is just as important to say that you shouldn't also forget to treat yourself well when you do something right.

Giving yourself credit when you achieve a goal or reach a target is very helpful and crucial for improving your self-image. So, next time you do something well, you should definitely reward yourself. For instance, treat yourself a meal at your favorite restaurant, a long-desired item from your number one store, or even a luxury spa day.

5. Choose Your Company Wisely

Last but not least, if you really want to love what you see in the mirror, you should choose your company wisely. Imagine spending time with people who only have negative thoughts. It won't really help you improve your self-image. Ideally, you should spend most of your time talking to people who share the same ideas and interests with you and who will support you unconditionally.

So, find such people and create your 'dream team'. Such a loving and understanding environment will hugely affect the way you feel about yourself.

Why? Because you will undoubtedly feel the love they give to you, and in return, you will start loving yourself.

Plus, your 'dream team' will help you find inspiration and motivation to think out of the box and reach your goals