In a society where we are told to take care of others first and always think about ‘log kya kahain gay’, loving yourself sounds selfish. We often hear people saying to love yourself but we seldom practice it. The mentality of ‘log kya kahain gay’ never allows us to love ourselves and do what makes us happy. Loving yourself sounds good in a TED talk, reading about it in articles and self-love quotes but why is it so hard to practice it?
Every individual is unique in his way and no one can be compared to another. Every one of us has unique traits and different abilities which we must be proud of at all times rather than feeling guilty about them or gaining sympathies. Life is not a smooth ride. It has its highs and lows but what must be constant is loving yourself at all costs. If you can’t even love and respect yourself how do you expect others to respect you? But what must be noted is that there is a thin line between loving yourself unconditionally and taking responsibility for your actions.
How important is self-love?
Self-love means having a relationship with yourself that has compassion, kindness, patience, tolerance, and curiosity. It does not mean that you are so nice to yourself that you never take accountability or responsibility for mistakes you made. It is important not to be so hard on yourself and push yourself to the edge that your life and losing its essence, its meaning. Pleasing people has got to stop if you want to love yourself—no matter what.
Victim mentality is unhealthy
Every one of us has and is going through hard phases of life which can leave a deep imprint on our lives but trust us when we say that self-love is the key to overcoming any obstacle, we are not kidding!
Many of us have been through trials in our lives that impacted our mental health, our sense of self, our outlook, and our worldview. Traumas leave us feeling as if we are worthless and make us question the purpose of our life and so many things which are not even in our control. Cultivating our sense of self-love to come from internal and not external sources allows us to move beyond negative past experiences. Always thinking of yourself as a victim and feeling guilty for what has happened to you is an unhealthy practice and we know it is easier said than done but there is always room to improve and try not to lose hope. Take one thing at a time. Don’t rush things.
Be Your Own Happiness
One trait which is common in all human beings is what we expect from others. Expectations are always disappointing. Stop seeking happiness outside of you. You won’t find it. There might be temporary happy moments, but you won’t be able to find long-lasting happiness based on the actions of others. You are the one who can actually make you happy. The more love you show yourself, the better you feel. And the better you feel, the happier you become. You are in charge of your happiness, and self-love is the key to finding it.
To sum it up, self-love is not only important for your mental health but it also gives you a sense of being confident in who you are, how you look, and what you have. It gives you a feeling of contentment.