How many times have you heard those two words: “Love yourself”? (I bet one too many.)
We all hear it on a regular basis be it from songs, in the movies, in almost all kinds of articles (including this one).
And we all know how important self-love is, but what does it really mean to love and care for yourself?
Some people connect the idea of loving yourself with “spoiling” yourself with a day at a spa, massage, hot bath, taking care of your hair, and other things that make you happy.
And this is not wrong at all because doing things that make you happy is one form of self-love, but the real truth is that there is so much more to it than you might actually think!
Loving yourself means loving all of yourself (your quirks, flaws, imperfections) and accepting every single part of you that you cannot change.
It means finding peace within your body and soul. Now, the question is: how do you find peace within yourself?
You find it by working on your attitude, by being kind and mindful to others and yourself.
Loving yourself is all about accepting and praising your uniqueness, and it is not about changing or being overly critical toward yourself.
It is about accepting and celebrating the fact that you are an imperfect being and that imperfection is precisely what makes you perfect.
It is about seeing the bigger picture of your actions and your existence.
Loving Yourself Means Having The Courage To Forgive Yourself
Loving yourself means loving your inner self, along with all of your imperfections, and never forgetting that you’re only human.
It means never forgetting to forgive yourself for being only human.
But, this doesn’t mean that you should never acknowledge your mistakes or work on it to become a better person.
Loving yourself means accepting the fact that you are making mistakes and you will keep making them, and being willing to work on yourself and always look at the bright side.
It means being imperfect, making mistakes, and forgiving yourself for it because you are not meant to be perfect.
By doing all of this, you will create a deep understanding for your inner self.
You will never dwell upon your sins or errors because you know that perfection doesn’t exist, and you should never force yourself to reach it or be mad about your past mistakes.
Loving Yourself Means Realizing Your Own Beauty For What It Is
Do you have curly hair and you wish you had straight, or vice versa? Do you have freckles?
Do you have black hair and you wish it was blonde? Do you have a specific sense for fashion that makes you a little bit insecure?
You see, we are all different. Loving yourself means accepting it and realizing your own beauty for what it is.
It means forgetting about all of those skinny models on the covers of magazines because that is not reality.
It is just propaganda from the media and it is not invented as a beauty scale for any of us “regular” humans.
Loving yourself means understanding that your hair color, weight, height, and other predispositions are unique and that is what makes you truly beautiful.
It means accepting your appearance and beauty for what it is instead of constantly wanting to change it and thinking that you will never reach the ultimate idea of beauty.
There is no such thing. Ideal beauty does not exist because every single person is beautiful in her own way.
Embracing yourself for who you really are is what makes you truly beautiful inside out.
Loving Yourself Means Understanding What Makes You Happy
Many people think that in order to love yourself you have to have certain qualities that will make you more lovable and help you acquire self-love.
No, you don’t have to have a perfect job according to the standards of society in order to be happy.
You don’t have to drive the perfect car or wear designer clothes only to be considered worthy.
All of these things are fleeting and they can’t and will never be capable of making anyone happy in the long term.
Now, loving yourself means understanding all of that and acting accordingly.
It means finding your own happiness that is not linked with the general idea of it.
It means doing what makes you truly happy as frequently as possible and not giving a damn about what others think (of course, if it is not something negative).
Self-love is all about doing what you like and not what others want you to or what society imposes on you.
It is about being a rebel if need be, fighting hard for your dreams, and believing in your success.
It is about doing what you’re interested in and not doing things solely for money, which is often a cause of discontent.
Loving Yourself Means Loving Your True Self And Accepting The Fact That Not Everyone Will Love You
Loving yourself means never expecting other people’s approval on something and never letting their opinion about you influence your own happiness.
It means accepting the fact that not everyone will love you and they are not obliged to because you yourself are not obliged to love everyone either.
And in order to love your true self, you need to remember that other people’s thoughts and words about you are just that – thoughts and words.
They should never influence your confidence or inner peace.
If you are living a genuine life and being your true self, you should never give a damn about what other people will think because you are not doing anything wrong.
You are being yourself, which is one of the most difficult tasks in today’s world. You are doing the right thing.
And that is why you should always keep in mind to not give a damn if they don’t agree with something you’ve said or done.
Their approval is not something you should worry about.
The only thing you should focus on is to be yourself the way you are and believe in yourself (and if they don’t like it, it is their business, not yours).
Loving Yourself Means Understanding That You Have To Love Yourself Before You Can Love Anybody Else (And They Can Love You)
Yup. The biggest mistake that many of us are guilty of is thinking that somebody else’s love for us can replace love for ourselves. It can’t.
So, loving yourself means understanding that you have to love yourself before you can love anybody else and before anybody else can love you.
Every relationship that you enter with insecurity, anxiety, and the like will always be doomed because it is not built on self-love, which is a prerequisite for the ultimate, reciprocal love that is lasting.
In order to be truly happy in a relationship (with another human being), you have to feel worthy of love, which comes from loving yourself first.
If you are incapable of loving yourself for who you are, you will be incapable of loving others for who they are, too.
Also, others will not be able to love you back because of the negative energy that is exhibited with every doubt and insecurity.
So, remember that your own thoughts will always be a reflection of other people’s thoughts when it comes to love.
If you show to the world that you’re in love with yourself, they will also fall in love with you.
You have to work on accepting yourself and striving to become the best version of yourself, not the perfect version of everyone else.
And here’s how you’ll do it.
HOW DO YOU LOVE YOURSELF
As already said, loving yourself is closely connected with working on your inner and outer self and being accepting of the things you cannot change.
It is all about understanding that you’re only human, but being willing to use your potential and reach another level of your spirituality.
You as a human being consist of your body, min, and your spirit and, according to it, loving yourself consists of three main aspects: the physical aspect, mental aspect, and emotional aspect.
Taking care of these three things will result in ultimate self-love. If you don’t love yourself enough, it is high time to start doing something about it.
Physical Aspect – Your Body
What does it mean to take care of your body?
As you (probably) already know, taking care of your body means getting regular exercise, being mindful of your diet, and resting.
It also means spending as much time as possible outdoors in nature because fresh air and the sun are your biggest friends when it comes to your well being.
In order to love yourself, you need to start taking care of all of these things because they will make you feel better in no time.
When you realize the importance of nourishing your body and doing what’s best for you, you will start loving yourself a little bit more because you will appreciate your efforts.
Mental Aspect – Your Mind
Once you’ve taken care of your body, it is time to take care of your mind as well.
Many people think that as long as they don’t have a certain disorder, they are good when it comes to their mental health.
Nourishing your mind has nothing to do with prevention of mental illness.
It is about learning new things, engaging in different hobbies, reading, memorizing, and so on.
Your mind works on the same principle as your body does. It needs constant nourishment in terms of exercise.
The only difference is that your body needs physical exercise, whereas your mind needs mental exercise.
Look at your mind as an engine that is of vital importance for your overall health, as your thoughts are shaping who you are.
Your thoughts become actions.
Emotional Aspect – Your Spirit
After you’ve taken care of your body and mind, now it is time to nourish your spirit as well.
If you don’t, you will either never achieve ultimate self-love or it will take a whole lot longer than usual.
Your spirit consists of your emotions, feelings, wishes, cravings, etc. Basically, you are your spirit, and without it, you wouldn’t be called human.
Now, how do you take care of your spirit?
You nourish your spirit by meditating, by constantly striving for optimism and positive thinking, by doing good to other people and yourself.
A healthy spirit is the one that makes you happy with who you are both mentally and physically.
It’s when you generally feel good about everything you do because you’ve found your ultimate inner peace and life purpose. You’ve found yourself through experiencing a spiritual awakening.
And loving yourself means feeling good in your skin, investing in your personal growth, and thus becoming the best version of yourself!
