A best friend is someone you can trust with your deepest secrets, rely on in moments of crisis and celebrate meaningful life events with. But developing the skills to be your own best friend means you can rely on your judgment and be your source of comfort when you need advice or support. Being your own best friend can also be a great way to work through feelings of loneliness, insecurity, and instability in your life. By cultivating a productive and positive self, you can learn to trust yourself consistently and turn inward to work on any issues or problems you may encounter.

Creating a Healthy Relationship with Yourself

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Spend time getting to know yourself. Think about what drives and motivates you, your likes and dislikes, and your strengths and weaknesses. We tend to look outward to figure out our tastes, ideas, goals, and pursuits, from gossip around the watercooler at work to Facebook posts and Instagram likes in the palm of our hands. But the more you understand yourself on an honest and real level, the easier it will be to like and respect yourself for who you are, rather than who you think you are according to other people, trends and circumstances in your life.

Get a pen and a piece of paper or your journal and consider prompts like, "Things I like", "Who I am right now", and "What would I tell my 99-year-old self?" Write down your answers and then read them over. These prompts should help you delve deeper into getting to know yourself.One-on-one therapy, as well as lifestyle workshops and clinics, can help you develop deeper self-awareness. Investigate the various self-development services available to you in your area, or online.

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Think about your relationships with other people. Consider how you interact with the people in your life, from your partner or your loved ones to casual acquaintances and strangers on the street. Your attitude towards others reflects on your sense of self, and good relationships in your life can serve as models for how to be your own best friend.

Write down the names of the people you consider important in your life, and why they are important to you. Think about questions like, "Why am I grateful to have these individuals in my life?" and "What would these individuals say at my funeral?"

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Set achievable goals for yourself. Rather than rely on others to set goals and expectations for you, create and set reasonable goals for yourself. These goals can range from small changes in your life like doing the dishes and organizing your space to larger and more challenging ones like taking a public speaking class or applying for a desirable new position or career role. By setting yourself up so you meet your expectations, you can take control of what you expect from yourself and feel good when you achieve each goal.

To determine how achievable your goals are, consider questions like: "Is my goal specific?","Can I measure my goal?" and "Is my goal relevant to my desires and my life?"Keep track of your goals in a journal or diary. As you keep track of your progress, finish each entry with a positive affirmation like "I approve of myself" to reinforce personal recognition of your achievements.