What does self love mean to you? What were you taught about it by your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, outside influences, etc.?
Learning to love yourself, the good, the bad, and the in-between can be one of the toughest task we encounter in our lives. But once you truly learn how to accept and love the whole package, the benefits are endless!
Can you truly love other people unconditionally if you don’t love yourself that way first? We are taught by so many outside influences that it is selfish to put ourselves first. But those telling us that don’t see how selfish it is of them to expect us not to. When we board an airplane we are told to put our oxygen mask on first before helping others. They tell us this not because it is selfish, but because you can’t help others if you can’t breath. Is that selfish? And how does oxygen differ from love? We need both things to have a healthy and vibrant life, do we not?
Taking time to figure out what you really love to do, what fulfills you, is also imperative. Taking time to do those things may seem selfish at first, but I have found that it not only helps me, it helps those around me as well. I can be the best authentic me when I take time to fill my bucket. And in turn, I can more readily share love, acceptance, and patience with the people in my life. And that makes for much better relationships.
Someone once told me to think about how I would talk to a friend if they were beating themselves up about something. Would I admonish them? I would not. Why would I talk to myself any differently? It was an “aha moment” for me and something snapped in me that day. That experience along with many others have lead me on a journey of finding out who I really am and accepting myself 100%. And as a result that, I have learned how to love who I am, all of me.
Diving deep into how you really feel about things, and accepting those feelings as “ok”, no matter what they are, is a great way to start the road to loving yourself. Trust me, if you decide that you are ready and willing to start this journey, people, experiences, books, YouTube videos, podcasts, and many other resources will be brought to you to help you attain this. The first step is deciding that you are important enough and ready to dive in. IT WILL HAPPEN!