I am enough.

Anama Gómez
August 15, 2024

One of my greatest successes in life so far is liking myself—no, not just liking, absolutely loving myself! And honestly, it hasn't been that long since I became fully aware of it; in fact, I might say that for most of my life, I thought it was "normal" for humans to know and like themselves. But, oh surprise! It turns out, many people struggle with this.

I know this confession might be taken the wrong way, like "Oh Ana, you're so full of yourself." And it's because we've often been told that saying nice things about ourselves is having a big ego, and that's not okay. But I'm here to tell you, it's quite the opposite!

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I'm not going to tell you it's a constant 24/7 thing where I always like myself—sometimes even I can't stand myself, to be honest. Sometimes I was very kind to myself, but other times I was harder than a rock. My expectations were sky-high, and if I didn't meet them 100%, I blamed myself mercilessly. I criticized myself, and often felt uncomfortable being alone, which led me to get lost in my kitchen, eating all the junk I could find.

I realized that if someone treated me the way I treated myself, I wouldn't want to be their friend. So I decided to start treating myself like I treat my best friends and learn to like myself.

First, I focused on self-compassion. I repeated the phrase in my mind: "I'm doing the best I can and that's okay and enough." At first, it felt so weird, but little by little it became natural. Today, if I make a mistake, instead of judging myself, remember that phrase, and move on.

The next step was to speak kindly to myself. Although sometimes I catch myself saying “Oh, how stupid” or “You always mess up,” at that moment I stop and transform those words into something kinder and let out a playful smile as I say, "Oh Ana, you did it again, hihi."

Accepting to forgive. I understood that to truly forgive myself, I had to accept myself as I am, and that's where constant meditation and faith in a higher God worked their magic. Living in the present without wanting to change it helped me to live without trying to change myself, embracing everything I am. Every time I meditate, I remind myself that who I am is neither right nor wrong, it just is, and that always brings piece.

And you, do you like yourself? Do you treat yourself like a great friend? Do you enjoy spending time with yourself?

Anama Gómez 😘