What do you think of when someone says the word love?
Do you think of endless Disney films all focused on finding the protagonists one true love? Do you think of finding your own true love? What if I told you the first person you should strive to love is yourself.
In recent years the phrase self-love has been used in the media so much more, and I think this is because the stigma that surrounds talking about mental health issues has decreased. This, in turn, has allowed people to be themselves and speak up about their feelings to improve their relationships with themselves and others.
When did you hear about Self-Love?
I hadn’t heard of the term or concept of self-love until about 2017, so during sixth form I found this whole new way of living that allowed you to not feel selfish for putting yourself first and looking after your body, mind and soul without feeling guilty at the expense of putting other priorities under your own. There is only one you, and you’ve got to look after yourself!
With everything we see on social media of overly edited and photoshopped influencers and celebrities I think it’s important to remind ourselves that it’s not real! The majority of them only share the best moments of their lives which makes anyone following them feel inadequate compared to this lavish lifestyle they portray.
However, I know that some people are changing this perception of celebrity/influencer perfection and have started to realise people want relatability and for them to share their bad times not just the good. This is so important for younger generations to grow up on social media (because it’s not going away) not just seeing the perfection but seeing struggles and learning how to fight these struggles, knowing they’re not alone.
Why you should love yourself!
Accepting your insecurities and differences shouldn’t be something to be ashamed of, it’s what makes you, you! Self-love should really be taught in schools because emotional intelligence and maturity is a highly valuable skill and state of mind in life but also in the workplace. Employers look for strong people who know who they are and what they want from life but can recognise their weaknesses and know how to work on them.
Self-Love is not selfish. Find your path to love yourself. My top tip is to think what would your younger self think of you, would they be proud of how much you have accomplished and how you've grown?