For many experts, self-respect is considered a form of self-love. 

Self-respect is the foundation of all the decisions you will make in life and in every area of your life, including work and relationships.

A self-respect checklist involves knowing your strengths and knowing your limits. 

It also entails developing your inner strength and managing your time better.

More importantly, self-respect is all about how you treat yourself and allow others to treat you.

Many assume the key to happiness lies in wealth, health, and the success of personal relationships alone.

However, what many fail to recognize is that self-respect is crucial to achieving happiness.

What Happens When You Have No Self-Love and Self-Respect

Before exploring why self-respect is vital to your happiness, you first need to recognize the common red flags that point to a lack of self-respect:

You are a doormat.

Are you the person people ask things and favors from without getting anything in return? 

You are likely a doormat, and you need to build up your self-love.

The same is true if you constantly allow others to walk all over you and give in to their wishes, even if it is against your will.

You lose yourself in a relationship.

Do you start a relationship and completely lose yourself in the process?

Do you end up forgetting what and who you are?

In similar scenarios, decisions are often made without your notice or approval, and you are merely taken in for a ride.

If you lack self-respect and self-love, you can easily forget your values and compromise your principles.

You also do things you don’t normally do that are against your true nature.

You often seek attention.

If you lack self-respect, you always look for validation and attention.

You will often do erratic and irrational things just to get the attention you crave.

You overindulge in bad habits.

Do you overeat, self-harm, drink excessively, do drugs and punish yourself and your body unnecessarily?

Food, drugs, and indulging in bad habits have become their way of forgetting for many.

You care for those who don’t care for you.

When you lack self-respect, you often move mountains for those who don’t even notice or have time for you.

You also make excuses for those who don’t have your back and won’t even think twice about throwing you under the bus.

You allow mental, verbal, or physical abuse.

You tolerate nasty people and abusive partners and justify the abuse by thinking they have treated you nicely at one point or another.

You tolerate all forms of abuse to hang on to that feeling of belonging.

You engage in casual and desperate sex.

If you lack self-respect, you have desperate and casual sex with just about anyone to get some attention.

The type of sex you engage in is also not fun, liberating, or respectful.

While it’s not something you enjoy, you resort to it to feel loved or wanted.

You are a puppet.

Often, you just meekly go along with anything other people say or want because you believe you have nothing of value to add to any meeting, conversation, or relationship.

When you have no self-respect, you also believe your opinions offer no value.

You are sloppy and untidy.

Without self-respect, you and your surroundings are a total mess. 

You also let yourself go and do not bother about taking good care of yourself.

Taking Your Power Back: How to Gain and Show Self-Respect

Respect your values and beliefs.

Figure out which of your values and beliefs reflect your authentic self and stick to them.

Remember that they are yours, and you don’t change them for others.

Under no circumstances should you change your values and principles just to suit other people.

Respect your body.

Your body is the only one you have.

That said, make sure you take good care of it accordingly.

Pamper yourself regularly and be kind and gentle to yourself.

Make time for exercise, eat right, and meditate.

Respect your environment.

If you can’t take care of your home, car, or everything else, you can’t take care of yourself.

Declutter.

Ensure your surroundings are always neat and clean, and surround yourself with things that reflect your true beauty and character.

Respect your interests.

Share your passions openly. 

Don’t shy away from trying new things and hobbies.

Trust that plenty of people will be interested to know the real you.

Respect your word.

One of the most powerful tools you have is your word.

So form opinions, communicate openly, and stay honest.

You owe it to yourself to speak up.

Also, make sure you follow through with the things you promised to yourself and others.

Respect your boundaries.

You won’t be able to gain the respect of others if you are spineless and can be manipulated easily.

Acknowledge your fears and face them head-on.

Push through them, and they will not have any power over you.

Respect your failures.

Your failures are an incredible feedback system.

Rather than always seeing them as negative, make them work for you instead.

Find legitimate value in your mistakes and learn from them.

Pat yourself on the back for trying and acknowledge that failures are a part of your success.

Respect your feelings.

Don’t stay in a toxic relationship.

Don’t stay in a job that makes you feel miserable.

Don’t stay in a relationship or do something that does not feel right and won’t serve you.

Conclusion

Lastly, to gain self-respect, you must respect your needs first. You can’t pour from an empty cup. Find out what you want and need and what makes you happy. Don’t try to meet the needs of others without taking care of your own needs first.