Why self-love matters?
Self-love is something which your body can't live without.
“You owe yourself the love that you so freely give to others “
No one stands up for you except yourself. People won’t give their everything just for you, only you can do that. Self-love is important because - how can you do your best for yourself when you cannot even value yourself?
If a person wants to learn football but is not physically fit, they will limit their mindset and then give up. They don’t have self-love because the fact that they underestimated themselves, is the real reason. Don’t think you can’t become an author, Hellen Keller was deaf and blind. Don’t think that you cannot learn music, Beethoven was deaf. Don’t think that you cannot do it.
How to self-love?
Making yourself happy by eating or drinking something you like, caring for your skin, body, and health, being confident that their words can’t stop you from shining, and forgiving yourself - it’s all self-love.
Challenges in your journey of self-love
“Your imperfections are not flaws; they are what make you real. Embrace them, and let self-love guide you through the doubts.”
Perfectionism: In our past articles, we have mentioned that perfectionism is an illness that can cause emotional struggles and internal conflict. It is also a physical health hazard. We try to fit in as much as we can by burying our true selves within us (physically and mentally).
Insecurity: Many of us (including me) face insecurities in our daily lives. We often compare ourselves to other people who look “perfect.” But if we try to embrace our insecurities at least once, we can know that we are not alone. These insecurities make us unique. Gratitude for our insecurities can improve our self-love and personality.
Peer and family pressure: Coping with peer pressure can be frustrating and insanely hard. It can doubt your self-worth and lower your self-esteem too. It can strain relationships and increase stress and anxiety. We may lose our true selves and make unhealthy choices.
How to increase self-love?
“Beauty attracts the eye, but the personality attracts the heart”
Mirror Conversation: Having a conversation with yourself is one of the best things you can do for your mind, body, and soul. Doing this every morning can make your day better and also reduce stress and anxiety levels. Doing this can also have a positive impact on the way you see yourself and will increase your self-love. You will start to like the way you look and you will start to feel better about yourself too.
Laughter is the best medicine: When we laugh, our body’s Dopamine (The happy chemical) gets released and we feel even more happier. Laughter also brightens our day and makes it better. Being with the people we love can help us to achieve better self-love.
Importance of celebrating small wins: Celebrating small wins and appreciating ourselves can be one of the best things that we ever do for ourselves. While we celebrate small wins it boosts productivity, enhances focus, INCREASES self-love, reduces stress, increases productivity, BUILDS confidence and so much more. We must remember that small wins are signs that a grand victory is waiting for us.
Benefits of Self-Love
Improved mental- health
Increased confidence and self-worth
Better relationships
Reduced need for external validation
Increased resilience and increased emotional stability
Physical Health Benefits
Greater happiness and fulfillment.
The Role of self-acceptance
Accepting who we are and how we look can increase happiness, and confidence and help us boost our growth mindset too. Self-acceptance increases the building of inner peace and reduces internal conflict. It also promotes authenticity, increases self-worth, encourages compassion and kindness, improves mental- health, and increases self-awareness. It can help prevent negativity, depression, anxiety, and insecurities. As someone wise once said-
“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we’ll ever do.”- Brene Brown
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can say that self-love plays a major part in our life. The way we see ourselves can affect what we do. Being confident and NOT thinking about other people’s opinions is one of the best things we can do for ourselves. Encouraging good habits and enhancing talents and hobbies is a beautiful act that we can do to show love to ourselves.