[Mekatra]

I hate the belief that you need to love yourself for other people to love you. You can be very much loved even in the depths of self-loathing. You can BE very loving to other people while absolutely hating yourself.

One way I have been working on being more accepting of myself is to observe myself in the way that a nature documentary might. Describe myself (in my best David Attenborough voice) in terms of a mysterious and majestic creature going about my day. It has led to a weird appreciation for myself and while I don't think this is exactly what my counselor lady was thinking when she said I should try observing my emotions and actions as though I am watching from the outside instead of being the one experiencing them, it has led to some introspection and occasionally hilarious moments that have helped make me like myself more, and it has ben somewhat helpful with my overreactions that cause depression spirals.