Loving yourself is the key to forming, and sustaining, better relationships, being your own best friend and accepting and understanding who you are and the value that you bring into the lives of others. Without exploration of self, in a deeper, sense, many people fail to find inner peace, harmony and true balance in their lives. Being open to self-discovery not only opens doors to pursuing true happiness but also empowers you to grow in confidence, self-belief and self-awareness.
What Is Self-Love?
Self-love is an understanding of the love that comes from you. This love is not just for others, however, it is also for you. Being able to accept who you are, no matter how other people see you or treat you, means that you are able to become the person you truly are. Self-love is acknowledging and accepting the importance of yourself, and also putting your own needs first.
Learning To Love Yourself
Accepting, acknowledging and exploring self-love is not easy. If you have a personal history of childhood neglect or abuse this can make self-empowerment work much more difficult. Without exploring all aspects of your being, however, it is impossible to understand who you truly are. Learning to love yourself will enable you to reach beyond the emotional boundaries you may have set in place to protect you from dealing with difficult and painful experiences and memories. By learning to peel back the layers you are able to examine the core and attain a better understanding of self.
Learning To Re-Prioritise
Getting into the habit of praising yourself on a daily basis requires a bit of effort. In order to do this well it is important to understand that you are the most important person in your life. Therefore you need to understand the value of prioritising your tasks, and day, so that your needs are always taken into consideration. If you are confidently able to meet your own needs you will be better equipped to fulfil the needs of others, so learning to become more accountable for yourself is essential.
Acknowledging your personal daily needs before you consider everything else will help you become more comfortable about expanding confidence and self-esteem. It is also important to remember that re-prioritising is not selfish – it is empowering. Learn to ask yourself what you need.
Tips To Get You Started
Although your exploration of self-love is private and personal to you involving others, in your acquirement of knowledge and insight, can be beneficial. Asking close friends and family members to tell you all the things they like about you will help you understand the many qualities you possess. If asking and receiving answers directly feels uncomfortable ask friends to write down their thoughts, or to leave you a voicemail message that you can replay over and over again.
Use a special notebook to list the things you like about yourself. Add compliments you receive to this book, along with any reflective thoughts that may surface whilst you are on your journey of self-discovery. Use this book to boost self-belief whenever you are feeling self-critical or your confidence and/or self-esteem feels low.
