The Psychological Trick That Can Completely Change The Way You Live Your Life In One Minute Or Less
Changing your life is easier than you think.
HBRH | Shutterstock Practicing self-love can often be a daunting task, especially because it's easier said than done. But what if there was a way that you could completely transform the way you live your life, for the better, that took only a minute of your time? Too good to be true? Maybe not.
A content creator named Kenneth, who makes videos on his platform about his journey with self-love and confidence, shared with viewers the clever trick that you can use to make sure that you're loving yourself to the highest form, and it involves thinking about someone in your life who means everything to you.
You can improve your life and how you live it just by thinking of the person you love the most.
In Kenneth's video, he insisted that by the end, anyone watching would be able to understand self-love in a way that would hopefully have a positive impact on their life. He claimed that the theory he spoke about in his video was something he had researched in books and research papers, but was also found through his own suffering and subsequent personal growth.
"We're going to go through a mental action roadmap. The more in touch you are with your imagination, the better you will do. First, imagine somebody that you love, someone you care for deeply. Whoever popped in your head first is usually best," Kenneth said.
Once you think of someone you love, imagine swapping bodies with them for a year.
Kenneth said to envision swapping bodies with their loved one for an entire year. Now, with the responsibility of the body of someone you love dearly, you have to take care of them, along with all of the other responsibilities for that year. "How would you treat it?" he questioned. "Focus on your love for this person. Knowing they're going to get this body and life back in a year, how would you treat it? I don't know about you, but for me, it was my little brother," he continued.
Kenneth explained that this exercise isn't supposed to be selfish. He insisted that you should think about what they want to do or what they like to eat. Are they happy in their relationships? Do they want to eat better or work out more, but can't find the time?
Using himself as an example, Kenneth said when envisioning his brother, he'd make sure that he was well taken care of while in his body. If he wanted to eat healthier, he'd research nutritional facts. If his brother were in school, Kenneth would make sure to attend all his classes and work hard so that his brother could excel.
"If I saw his body was having a hard time doing these things, I would enlist the help of experts because that's how much I love him," he acknowledged. "I will want everything to be the best when I gave it back."
When you focus on the gratitude that you have for the person you love the most, it will change the way you treat yourself.
Kenneth claimed that all of the gratitude that you feel for the person that you conjured up in your head should now be put on your future self. "Look at your intentions, write them down. It doesn't have to be tactile," he said. "Acknowledge who you are and what you want. Loving yourself can be a difficult concept to grasp, at least for me, because I had never loved a being that was myself before."
He found that loving other people came so naturally to him, but loving himself felt like a task that was so far out of reach. However, it was only when he began practicing self-love that everything started to change for the better. He found that he had more ambition to chase his dreams, could fulfill promises to himself, and was able to better love others.
"Whenever this gets hard, remember the person you love, and from that place, take these actions," he said to anyone who might be struggling with confidence and self-love. "Eventually, a moment will come where you receive a gift from your past self, and in that moment, whether or not you feel it, you love yourself."
By thinking about the love you have for others, it will eventually become easier to turn that love toward yourself.
It's estimated that roughly 85% of people worldwide (adults and adolescents) struggle with low self-esteem. And many people hold on to the mindset that in order to truly love another person, you must love yourself first, but as Kenneth demonstrated, sometimes it's through loving others that we more clearly learn to love ourselves, even the parts that we always thought were unlovable.
In a piece written for Well + Good, Lia Avellino, LCSW, explained, "Getting to see ourselves through the eyes and hearts of a loving other can be more soothing than any self-led effort. Because we often dislike the parts of ourselves that others have disliked or rejected, experiencing appreciation and understanding of these wounded parts from a partner can allow us to develop a less critical relationship to them."
Marjan Apostolovic | Shutterstock
Kenneth's advice to everyone stems from acknowledging the unconditional love we have for others and how it's not impossible to want that love for ourselves. The people we love would want us to put all of that love for them into ourselves. By acknowledging the positive feelings directed toward others and channeling them inward, Kenneth encouraged a shift in mindset. Self-love is not only possible but is a worthy gift, so that moving forward, we can make sure to have a compassionate and fulfilling life.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
