‘Want to know how to have self-respect? Here are several powerful techniques you can use to treat yourself better and assert your rights as a human being

Bullies often force victims of bullying to do things that are beneath them by way of threats and inducing fear in them. Therefore, they force these targets to give up their self-respect just to survive. If you’re one of those victims, here’s how to have self-respect so that you can take back your dignity.

In this post, you will learn the most powerful techniques you can use to command dignity and respect from others. Moreover, you will have the courage to give respect only to others who’ve earned it from you.

After you learn these methods, you will respect yourself enough to stand up to your bullies and take back your personal power

How to have self-respect

Here’s something most people don’t realize.

You teach people how to treat you. And how do you teach them this? By how well you treat yourself- by what you will and will not put up with and by the boundaries you set.

Consequently, after people have bullied and abused you for so long, they can condition you to accept and allow bad behavior from others. Therefore, prolonged bullying is a form of brainwashing and hypnosis.

It slowly rewires your brain and forces you to “let” people walk over you.

However, know that it doesn’t have to be this way. You can retrain your brain and reclaim your dignity. In that, you can re-create the life you so deserve.

To put it plainly, you can either allow unsavory people into your life. Moreover, you can allow them to abuse and degrade you or you can put your foot down.

You can call them on their unacceptable behavior, and give them the old heave-ho. You decide.

I have to admit. When I was being bullied years ago, I unwittingly let my classmates tear me down. I gave them the power to determine how I felt about myself.

However, this power never belonged to them in the first place.

Therefore, this is what happens when you don’t gather the courage to stand up to bullies. If you do not assert your rights to safety and dignity, people will take advantage.

Moreover, if you let others’ hurtful words and physical assaults make you feel terrible about myself, you’re self-esteem will come crashing down.

How to have self-respect:

What happens to your self-esteem if you don’t stand up for yourself

Again, your self-esteem will fall like a meteor. Then other bad things begin to happen.

If you’re a kid in school, you’ll give up on schoolwork and your grades will plummet. Also, you’ll give up on you talents and stop doing what you enjoy.

In other words, you’ll allow your bullies to turn you against yourself.

I say this because it happened to me. I can’t even pretend it was all their fault. Why? Because I allowed them to steal my confidence- without knowing it or meaning to, of course.

Nevertheless, I let it happen. Therefore, part of the blame is on me.

But here’s the good news! Your bullies and abusers may bring you down, but they can’t keep you there if you don’t allow. You can eventually get wise to your value as a human being.

In other words, you can begin seeing your worth and treating yourself better by removing toxic people from your life. And if removing them isn’t possible, as with toxic coworkers or family members, you can still, to some degree, limit contact.

“I can’t even pretend it’s all their fault.”

I can’t stress enough the importance of loving yourself first and foremost. Love should come from within and you should never look to any outside source for it.

Love yourself and all of your imperfections, for we are all “perfectly flawed.” Therefore, by loving yourself, you also accept and respect yourself.

You don’t have to seek approval. If a person does not want to see your worth, you can’t make them. However, you do have the choice of whether or not to keep them in your life.

This may or may not change their behavior toward you, and the worst-case scenario might even make it worse. However, you aren’t looking to change anyone’s attitude, you’re looking to take care of yourself and take back your peace.

How to have self-respect: 7 Ways to Respect Yourself

1. Understand the ins and outs of respect.

This means understanding that respect has a purpose. It’s there to ensure that everyone can live together in safety, peace, and harmony. It isn’t self-serving. It’s meant for the good of society.

Respect of any kind isn’t an entitlement. In other words, it isn’t free. You must earn it by giving it to others in order to get it in return. Moreover, respect is something you must give to yourself to earn it also.

Everyone has a space to fill, even you. Respect is either mutual or it’s none at all and there’s no in-between. In short, it’s a two-way street.

Also realize that respect is something money can’t buy. It doesn’t matter how much money, power, and prestige you have. If you’re a piece of scum, you’re a piece of scum.

Moreover, your money is something you can never take with you when you go and the same goes for power and prestige. We all come into this world naked and so shall we leave it.

You don’t get respect by bullying and instilling fear in others. For example, gangs and mobsters demand respect. However, they never give any in return.

These kinds of people steal, kill, and destroy the lives of others. Yet, they have the nerve to demand respect, and from the very people they hurt.

Also, it isn’t something you must ask nor beg for. If you earn it, it should naturally come back to you.

On the other hand, if you must ask or beg for it, you’re around the wrong people and it’s time to walk away. Respect is something that you sometimes must fight for.

2. How to have self-respect: Understand what self-respect is and what it isn’t.

Self-respect is not haughty, pompous, nor arrogant.  True self-respect is respect for self while being aware of your strengths and weaknesses. It also means knowing and accepting your limitations.

In other words, it means embracing all aspects of yourself, good, bad, and ugly. Moreover, it’s treating yourself well and protecting yourself from emotional marauders.

3. Know your worth.

This means knowing what you deserve and what you will and will not tolerate. Never show respect to anyone who doesn’t return it.

In other words, you must respond in kind to anyone who disrespects you. Moreover, know that it’s not about changing anyone, it’s about looking out for yourself.  It’s about establishing boundaries.

 4. Set and enforce firm boundaries.

There are toxic people everywhere- users, abusers, and bullies. They will try to manipulate you, disrespect you, harass you, and violate your boundaries. Therefore, it’s imperative that you set boundaries and walk away from such people.

Moreover, setting boundaries means having the courage to say no when you must.

You must also enforce those boundaries when some creep sticks so much as one toe over them. This means imposing consequences on the violator.

Understand that this is how you treat yourself well. If you don’t, who will?

5. How to have self-respect: Be prepared to fight to keep your self-respect.

You, as much as anyone else, deserve your self-respect and dignity. Moreover, there will be times when you must fight to keep it. So, how do you fight for your self-respect?

You fight for it, simply, by refusing to allow people to disrespect you and get away with it. In other words, you do it by walking away from toxic friendships and abusive partners. You fight by standing up to bullies and cutting ties with those who disrupt your peace.

And you do it guilt-free, without warning, explanation, nor apology.

6. take care of your health.

This means taking care of your physical health by eating the right foods and getting plenty of exercise and nightly rest.

Moreover, you must nurture your mental and spiritual health by surrounding yourself with those who uplift you and doing what you love to do. Feed your brain by reading good personal development books and books that teach you things.

In short, never stop learning new things.

7. be kind but don’t be “nice!”

It never pays to be too nice. When people take your kindness for weakness, that’s the time to get tough. In other words, kindness is giving but not doing it at your own expense. Niceness is giving at your own expense. Moreover, there’s an ulterior motive to niceness.

On the other hand, there’s no self-servitude in kindness.

Nice people tend to kiss booty. They accept shabby treatment from those who don’t appreciate them and their niceness comes from an objective to score brownie points.

Whereas, kind people give from the heart and won’t tolerate abuse from others. A kind person won’t try to curry favor. They give because it’s the right thing to do.

Therefore, respect yourself by being kind. Nice is for suckers.

This post is all about how to have self-respect and treat yourself well so that you can gain back your confidence and your personal power.

Related post you’ll enjoy:

1. Knowing Yourself: Why it’s the First Step in Building Confidence

2. Setting Boundaries: 3 Powerful Practices to Hold Your Ground

3. Removing Toxic People: 5 Successful Ways to Give Them the Boot

4. How to Overcome Low Self-Esteem: 7 Insanely Easy Ways

5. How to Stop Caring What People Think: 9 Powerful Steps