Like almost every woman, I've struggled to love myself. I used to be my hardest critic especially when I saw other people being happy and successful. For a lot of years, I was in this dark place, within toxic relationships and depression. Here are some of the things I did to start loving myself and become one of these happy women I used to envy.

1. Stop comparing yourself to others.

It's probably the most important step to start this journey, because no one is in the same place, has the same circumstances or the same abilities, so it's not fair to compare yourself to others. When you stop doing this, it's easier to see your own abilities and your own success.

2. Don’t worry about others people’s opinions.

If you knew no one was going to judge you for the things you do, what would you like to do? I used to be the kind person who asked everyone before making a decision because I always was worried about their opinio. Most of time, I did what they preferred instead of what I really wanted to do until one day, I realized I was so unhappy and the people I was worrying about would criticize me anyway. So I started to make decisions based on what I want and what I think could make me happy. After I did this a few times, I discovered this: When you are doing what you like and you are enjoying it, you don't focus on what others are saying.

3. Don’t be afraid to let go of toxic people.

Sometimes you know that you are in a toxic relationship or have toxic people around you but you are afraid to be alone or feel attached to them. No matter what it is, if you want to heal and become a better person, you have to let go off all those people that just drain your energy and hold you in bad situations.

There are a lot of other things you have to do to fully love yourself but these are going to put you on the right path.