A World Without Racism is Loving
Self Love♡
Self-love and self-care have been popular, interchangeable terms on social media platforms where influencers promote the idea of self-love in the midst of a toxic culture to help improve their audience’s self-esteem and confidence level.
Self Love♡
Self-love and self-care have been popular, interchangeable terms on social media platforms where influencers promote the idea of self-love in the midst of a toxic culture to help improve their audience’s self-esteem and confidence level.
Self-love is a lot more difficult than most people think. It is essentially the foundation of one's perception of self and can affect many aspects of our lives from getting into a new relationship to how we handle failure. How we love ourselves also determines the image of ourselves that we project in our workplaces, schools, and friend groups. These are the concepts that make self-love so important to maintain and build. Self-love is dynamic, and it is a process that takes time and effort to build. It stems from our actions that support our spiritual growth. Here is the seven-step prescription for self-love from Psychology Today that can help us gain an appreciation and love for ourselves:
- Become mindful
Mindfulness is observing and acknowledging our feelings, emotions, and thoughts without judging them. People who practice self-love are aware of what they are feeling and why, while also knowing what they need and want without other people’s influence.
- Set boundaries
Setting boundaries as a form of self-care is just as important as maintaining a healthy social life. By setting these limits and learning when to say no to work, school, family, or friends, you are learning to love yourself more through doing the right thing for your mental health.
- Forgive yourself
Accept the fact that we are all human and we make mistakes. We cannot possibly improve ourselves when we do not look past our mistakes and dwell on them. We can be so hard on ourselves sometimes, and that ultimately results in us punishing ourselves and prevents us from learning and growing. By learning how to forgive ourselves, we acknowledge our mistakes as learning experiences.
Just by working on one of these self-love actions, you will see a difference in your perception of self already. Self-love does not happen overnight. Take your time and work on yourself. The key is to set reachable goals that are effective in helping you love yourself a little more every day.
- Putting needs before wants
A lot of times, we know what is best for ourselves, but we tend to act on what we want and what excites us the most. Some level of self-discipline comes into play when we practice self-love. Sometimes, it even means focusing on what we need rather than what we think we want in order to keep moving forward in our lives and prevent getting stuck in the past.
- Protect yourself
Self-love is all about knowing what we need and staying away from the negativity that can potentially harm us. Sometimes, the right thing to do is to cut off toxic relationships and friendships that are affecting our perception of ourselves. Surround yourself with people who are genuinely happy for your success and would be here as a shoulder to cry on when you hit a setback.
- Live intentionally
When you live with a purpose and have set goals, you learn to enjoy life as a challenging journey. Establish your living intentions and base your actions around reaching and supporting those goals. When you accomplish the goals that you have set, you learn to love yourself more.
