If you are struggling, feel like giving up, and don't know where to turn you're not alone.
Suicidal thoughts, depression, self harm, sexual abuse, bullying, grieving, eating disorders, mental illness, toxic friendships, toxic relationships
trouble w...
Today I'm going to be discussing self-love. But first, I have to define what love IS:
An emotion? A list of attributes? (patient, kind, humble, etc.) An action? A choice? A person?
Those are all pretty valid definitions of love. But today I want to focus on one specific definition: Willing what is best for the one you love.
"Love is not an affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained." —C. S. Lewis
In this case, the one you love would be yourself. You're trying to obtain the ultimate good for yourself.
What do you think of when you hear the phrase self-love? Maybe you think of sayings like "treat yourself" or something along those lines. But, self love doesn't always feel good. An example is, if you have an exam at 8 am tomorrow, is it more loving to yourself to:
- Stay up late watching Netflix and falling asleep at 2 am
OR
- Go to bed at a decent time and eat a good breakfast so that you can do well on your test
One of them might not feel good or make you happy in the moment but obviously it's better to let yourself do well on your test than to fail and suffer later because you wanted to have fun. That's not to say you should never have fun or I ever relax but just a reminder that you need a balance and to get your stuff done before you start chilling. Just Saying™.
Self love isn't just a feeling. Some days you'll wake up and have the highest confidence level ever and other days you wake up and hate everything about yourself, how you look, and who you are. But self love is about choosing to love yourself and do what is good for you every day.
Do you take care of yourself by:
- Emotionally/Socially Keeping negative, toxic people out of your life Trying to interact with others in a positive way Making time for your friends and family Checking up on your friends and asking how they are Having friends that check up on YOU and ask how you are
- Mentally/Spiritually Trying not to view every tiny problem as the end of the world Trying to stay away from media/people that make you feel worse about yourself Reading books that help you grow in your spiritual relationship Praying (if you're religious) Fasting (not just from food but also from things like social media) Making time to relax and unwind after a long week
- Physically Eating healthy food Not overeating Not binging Not starving yourself Not self-harming (I'll put a list of alternatives at the bottom) Sleeping enough Working out/staying active
I hope this post helps you! Add anything else that I missed in the comments. :) have a nice day.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
