i had to learn to like myself before i could take steps towards finding other people to like me (and this could be extended to finding people to love me). i was so bad at this, the only way i could do it was to learn that t accepts all of me and it was like then i was able to start accepting myself.

i also had to learn (and this took me ages and was really hard and awful to learn) that noone can make me feel better. sometimes the answer is in accepting there is excruitiating pain and sitting with it. The more i tried to get others to take away my pain, to do things to escape the pain, to refuse to accept the pain, it just made things worse.

be gentle with you.