Self-Love

These days, no matter where you look, the phrase “Self-Love” is popping up.

It’s a difficult topic for most, and yet the repercussions of not loving yourself reverberate in so many ways.

We often get so busy thinking about—and taking care of—others that we end up ignoring our own needs. These needs start and end with loving ourselves enough to expect what we need and deserve in a relationship.

But what does it really mean to love yourself fully, and why do we so often struggle with it? While it may be a cliché phrase, millions of relationship coaches and counselors all agree: if you want to be in a happy, equal, and authentic relationship of any kind, you must love yourself first.

-If you do not love yourself, you will accept less than what you deserve in a relationship.
-If you do not love yourself, you will settle for less.

These are neither bold nor controversial statements. They are truths self-evident to the millions of people who live with low self-esteem every day. But what does it mean to love yourself, what are the impacts, and why do we struggle with it? These are the questions most of us are asking ourselves.

What does it mean to love yourself?
To love yourself means to accept yourself as you are and to come to terms with all aspects of yourself. It means having self-respect, a positive self-image, and unconditional self-acceptance.

Why Do We Struggle with Loving Ourselves?
Exploring confidence issues can be personally trying and exhausting, but understanding where they stem from is key. When you understand the source of your confidence issues—those things that prevent you from loving yourself fully—you can begin to break them down and move past them.

The good news is that most confidence and self-worth issues are based on external factors. They are based on the judgments of others and the comparison of ourselves to others. The common word here is others. We often let others define our level of confidence.

What does self-love mean to you, and what would it look like?
Do I have self-respect