Sometimes we’re way too hard on ourselves. If something goes wrong, it’s easy to think, If only I had done this better! or Why can’t I be as good as him? Remember that there’s a whole list of things that make you uniquely…you! Your love of music, your facial features, your body, your gift for math, your love of animals—literally all the things about you.

Write down that list and then dare to love and appreciate all those things for a week, or a day, or at least an hour. Look in the mirror and say, “I love that I’m good at math.” It’s going to feel weird and maybe even a little braggy, but what you say to yourself affects how you feel about yourself. Saying something like “I love that I’m good at math” is called an affirmation, and we want to keep the things we say to ourselves as positive—as affirmative—as possible. It all starts with you: liking and being nice to yourself means you’ll be able to do the same for others.