What is Self-love? Why must we love ourselves first?

Self-love means, you tend to accept yourself fully and you treat yourself with kindness and respect and you nurture your growth and wellbeing.

When you are able to love yourself, only then you will have overall positive view of yourself. This does not mean you feel positive about yourself all the time. That would be very unrealistic, for example, I can temporarily feel very upset, angry or disappointed with myself and still able to love myself. It might sound confusing, you must think, as to how this works in other relationships.

You are able to love your children, even though, sometimes you tend to feel angry or disappointed wit him, even in the midst of your anger and disappointment, your love for your children informs you as to how you relate to your children. It enable you to forgive your children, consider your feelings, meet your children needs and make decisions which would support thier wellbeing. Self-love is very much the same. Which means, if you know how to love others, you would know how to love yourself.

What does self-love look like ?

1. Saying positive things to yourself

2. Meeting your own needs

3. Being assertive

4. Forgiving yourself when you mess up

5. Not letting others take advantage of or abuse you

6. Prioritizing your health and well being

7. Spending time around people who support you and build you up

8. Asking for help

9. Letting go of grudges or anger that holds you back

10. Recognizing your strengths

11. Valuing your feelings

12. Making healthy choices most of the time

13. Living in accordance with your values

14. Pursuing your interests and goals

15. Challenging yourself

16. Holding yourself accountable

17. Giving yourself healthy treats

18. Accepting your imperfections

19. Setting realistic expectations

20. Noticing your progress and effort.