The importance of self love
What is self love?
Self love is having high admiration and respect for yourself in terms of happiness and well-being. It’s when you put yourself before others, however it’s not selfish — it’s an important thing in our lives. It’s when you have the courage to forgive yourself and choose to love and accept yourself just the way you are. Loving yourself can be very hard to do because we all have flaws.
The importance of self love
Having a great amount of respect for yourself allows you to notice your worth. It encourages us to take care of ourselves in every aspect of our life. Self love is important as it has a huge toll on our self esteem, mentality and even our confidence. The way we take care of ourselves doesn’t just affect us but also shows other people how we expect to be treated in an indirect way. The way you love yourself radiates and speaks for itself. It’s part of who you are.
7 signs you lack self love
- You hide your true self from others
- You’re worried about what people think
- Excessive people pleasing
- You don’t trust your own judgement
- Negative self talk
- You have difficult and unstable relationships
- You lack confidence
- You don't take care of your body
Why loving yourself may be difficult
- You’re a “perfectionist”
You don’t accept who you are and you’re always trying to be like the people you’re surrounded with mostly based on peer pressure. Being unique is an amazing characteristic to have, don’t try to be like others. BE YOURSELF.
- Self love may be seen as selfish
People think putting yourself first is wrong and selfish but it’s the exact opposite. Putting yourself first helps your emotional and mental well-being and you start to learn and see why you’re so important.
- You haven’t forgiven yourself
You’re still looking at yourself as a failure based on past mistakes. You need to learn to accept those mistakes, forgive yourself and move on .This process may take a while but with the recommended help of a therapist you’ll be alright.
- You had no time to love yourself
Many people grow up too busy taking care of others and not having the time and knowledge to love themselves. In this day and time many adults are unaware of self love as it was also not practiced or taught by family or teachers in their lives.
However self love is something that cannot be created overnight. It takes time. To create self love we need to develop certain traits:
Steps you need to take to achieve self love
- Letting go toxic relationships
This leads to feeling discouraged and depressed but in the long-time you start developing self worth.
- Positive affirmations
An affirmation is the whatever sentence you say after ‘I am’ e.g I am beautiful. This allows you to stay motivated, focused and it gives you clarity of who you want yourself to be and what you want to do by visualising your success.
- Don’t compare yourself with anybody
We are all different in many ways. When we compare ourselves to others we insult the beautiful creation of God
- Daily gratitude
Be grateful for everything you have and notice all the positive or good things you have.You may either journal it,spend time with loved ones or give back to your community
- Set boundaries
Setting boundaries prevents exhaustion because you can now prioritise your needs and limits. You are also protecting your well being and your mental health as well as enhancing your self-respect and self-esteem. It’s allows you to avoid unhealthy connections
- Forgive yourself
If you make mistakes it’s important to forgive yourself. Let go of what happened and take those situations as lessons. Don’t burden yourself with those past mistakes and allow yourself to heal by forgiving yourself.
- Gratitude
Gratitude is being thankful for things that happen in your life. This reduces depression and lessens anxiety. The happier and more grateful you are from your life the less depressed you are bound to be.
- Take every opportunity life presents
It helps you grow. Allows you to challenge yourself into stepping out of your comfort zone. Making it more comfortable to take on greater challenges than before.
- Learn to say no
You have loved yourself enough to say no to others. You might find it difficult to say no but If you never learn to say “no” people take advantage of you and exploit your lack of boundaries. It’s essential to know what to say no to is just as important as learning when you have to say yes.
- Prioritise yourself
Give yourself all the attention you need because you come first. Look at all the things you need and provide them for yourself,including what makes you happy. YOU COME FIRST.
In conclusion
If you are just starting your journey of loving yourself, it might be frustrating and you will feel like surrendering but it is a step towards the right direction. If you don’t give up, you WILL start loving yourself. It’s all worth it and so are you.
