be oneself
To act naturally; act normally without trying unduly to impress others.
Just try being yourself; I promise people will like you more.
beside oneself
Very much excited; somewhat crazy.
She was beside herself with fear.
He was beside himself, he was so angry.
When his wife heard of his death, she was beside herself.
boot strap
by one's own bootstraps
drag oneself up by one's bootstraps
pull oneself up by the bootstraps
pull oneself up by one's own bootstraps
To succeed without help; succeed by your own efforts.
He had to pull himself up by the bootstraps.
by oneself
Without any others around; separate from others; alone.
The house stood by itself on a hill.
Tom liked to go walking by himself.
Betty felt very sad and lonely by herself.
Paula likes to walk through the woods by herself, but her brother prefers to walk with a companion.
Without the help of anyone else; by your own work only.
John built a flying model airplane by himself.
Lois cleaned the house all by herself.
Francis translated that French novel by himself. No one helped him.
end in itself
Something wanted for its own sake; a purpose, aim, or goal we want for itself alone and not as a way to something else.
The miser never spent his gold because for him it was an end in itself.
enjoy oneself
To have a good time; be happy; feel pleasure.
Mary enjoyed herself at the party.
"Enjoy yourselves, children," Mother urged the guests at our party.
excuse oneself
To think of reasons for not being to blame; think yourself not at fault.
John excused himself for his low grades on the ground that the teacher didn't like him.
To ask to be excused after doing something impolite.
John excused himself for his tardiness, saying his watch was wrong.
To ask permission to leave a group or place.
The committee meeting lasted so long that Mr. Wilkins excused himself to keep an appointment.
John had to go to the dentist's, so he excused himself and left the classroom.
exert oneself
To make an effort; try hard; work hard.
Susan exerted herself all year to earn good marks.
Jerry exerted himself to please the new girl.