Making healthy my focus on this self-love journey...
The concept of “self-love” has never been easy or natural for me, and to be honest I think it is something that I will consciously have to work
on for the rest of my life to ensure that I don’t fall back into old habits.
Self-love and the definition of “health” is different for everyone, which is completely fine. The thing about self-love and self-care is that you get to choose what works best for you and what it means to you.
For some, it could be something as simple as establishing a firm daily routine, such as taking
the time to meditate and make a good breakfast for yourself each morning. It could be having a coffee alone on your verandah in the morning light. It might be exercising every day, or getting a weekly massage no matter how busy life is. For others it might be something much deeper than what you see and do on the outside. It might just be a feeling; like feeling good in your skin right now despite what you might be going through, by looking in the mirror every day and telling yourself that you’re beautiful inside and out even if you think that you can see “flaws”.
Self-love can be a combination of everything I just mentioned or it can be something completely different, and that’s okay, as long as you’re focusing on loving and nurturing yourself to achieve, maintain or strengthen a healthy relationship with who you are:
Because you are wonderful.
For me, self-love really is a feeling deep in my heart. It’s about feeling healthy and happy and
focusing on my soul, rather than my appearance. It’s also about listening to what I need and
respecting myself enough to prioritise these needs.
I believe that self-love starts from within, that it grows and flourishes depending on your internal dialogue and how you treat yourself.
You could be “treating yourself” to a massage every week to show yourself some love, and you could be eating a fantastic diet packed with all the nutrients and vitamins and minerals, but if your internal dialogue is horrible and you’re constantly putting yourself down and judging every single thing that you do...
Well, how healthy can that really be?
I believe that when it comes to finding self-love and building a positive relationship with yourself, you’ve got to do what works for you; what keeps you healthy and happy. You shouldn’t compare yourself to other people or feel like you should be doing something just because they are. If it makes you feel healthy and happy then go for it. We are all very unique and different (and beautiful), so we should find our own unique way of taking care of ourselves to the best of our abilities.
I am slowly but surely re-training my mind to focus on the positive rather than the negative, it hasn’t been easy and I’m still learning, but I am now able to look in the mirror, forgive myself for having negative thoughts and feelings, and see through any scars, imperfections or “faults” that I have, because these few imperfections will never, ever define who I am or how beautiful I truly am, on the inside or the outside.
Sometimes it takes a little tough-love or a lot of soul-searching, but I do get there and I find the strength I need to accept and believe in myself no matter what. These days I am always having little light bulb moments where I truly see my worth, and to me,
that is self-love.
Love yourself, be kind to yourself, and forgive yourself.
Love yourself fearlessly, treat yourself the way you’d treat your best friend when she is down in the dumps. You wouldn’t punish her, would you? You wouldn’t start picking her to pieces to make her feel even worse about herself, so why do you do it to yourself? Why can’t we treat ourselves the way we treat the other women in our lives who we love dearly? Why can’t be love ourselves like that?
The mind and body respond to how they are treated, so treat them well and they will treat you well in return. Practice self-love often, and experience first-hand the positive impact that it has on your life.
Self-love is not selfish; it’s essential.
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