Self-Love

“Find the love you seek, by first finding the love within yourself. Learn to rest in that place within you that is your true home.”

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Love…… A word used on a daily basis.

It is a general expression of positive sentiment (a stronger form of like) which is commonly contrasted with hate.

It can also be said to be a feeling that encompasses a strong range of positive feeling because of its virtue representing human kindness, compassion, and affection which describe compassionate actions towards one’s self, other humans or animals.

Love can be classed into the following:

1. Divine love (Agape)
2. Self-love
3. Family love
4. Romantic love
5. Friendly love

Having understood what love is all about, we are going to be talking about Self-love and how to achieve this.

“If you are insecure, guess what? The rest of the world is too. Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think.”

T. Harv Eker

Self-love is defined as “loving oneself” or “regard for one’s own happiness or advantage“.

It is a state of appreciating oneself which grows from actions that support your physical, mental and spiritual growth.

Before you can show love to others, you have to love and understand yourself, care for your own needs and not sacrifice your well-being to please others.

In life, we all have many different ways of taking care of ourselves. Figuring out what self-love looks like for you as an individual is an important part of your mental health.

“Accept yourself, love yourself, and keep moving forward. If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down.”

Roy T. Bennett

We sometimes find ourselves having thoughts like; Why do I feel uncomfortable with who I am, what is my place in this world and the likes of such thoughts.

To achieve self-love, you have to discover yourself. When you know yourself, you understand what pushes you to learn and resist habits you’re either comfortable with or not.

Finding yourself is not a day’s job but rather a step by step journey through life. Have in mind that our identity is not a fixed thing but a constant change that is molded by our experiences.

There’s no one more important to trust than yourself. Sometimes, we lose ourselves to negative thinking of mistakes/failures. Building self-trust helps to boost your self-confidence which in turn makes your life easier and enjoyable. When you trust yourself, you are able to do anything without judging yourself.

In other for you to trust yourself, you have to spend time with yourself so as to know your strength and weakness.

If you haven’t discovered yourself or you’re trying to re-discover yourself, you can do that by;

• Identifying your personality
• Considering what your core values are
• Declaring positive affirmations
• Being true to yourself
• Forget the past and look towards the future
• Avoiding self-judgment
• Avoid comparing yourself to others.
• Come out of your comfort zone and try something new
• Clear your mind of all negative thoughts
• Surround yourself with people who love and encourage you
• Avoiding toxic relationship
• Celebrate your wins no matter how big or small.
• Find something to be grateful for every day
• Cultivate the habit of saying NO; saying no sometimes doesn’t make you a bad person instead, it makes you a smart person
• Accepting yourself

Here are some quotes to help you achieve self-love;

“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” – Lucille Ball

“To fall in love with yourself is the first secret to happiness.” – Robert Morley

“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.” – Mark Twain

“Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it. ” – M. Scott Peck

“One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself.” – Shannon L. Alder