The Path to Self-Love
There’s a lot of talk about self-love these days. Self-love might be interpreted as getting a manicure or a massage. These are supportive for self-care, but these exterior activities aren’t really the path to self-love. Love truly begins within, and that is not an easy task when we are bombarded with lack, comparison and “not-enoughness” through personal interactions and the media.
What exactly is self-love anyway? Self-love is a state of appreciation for oneself, no matter what we might be doing, going through or feeling. Self-love grows from actions that support our physical, psychological, and spiritual growth. Self-love means having a high regard for one’s well-being. It means taking care of your own needs and not sacrificing your energy to please others. Self-love means acknowledging one’s worth and not settling for less than you deserve.
Self-love is a practice with an intentional approach. For some, this life-long practice means that we commit to the deep work in order to come to and stay in a place of self-acceptance and appreciation. We can begin our self-love journey by practicing empathy for ourselves. This means we begin to have awareness of all our feelings and refrain from shaming ourselves for them, while giving ourselves self-compassion for where we are at any given time. We can mindfully see our inner beauty, our worth, and loving what we find there - the light parts and shadow parts of ourselves combined. In modern times, it can take a bit of extra effort to see the beauty in who we are - exactly as we are - imperfections and all. By being willing to have empathy and compassion for ourselves, we can be more gentle, more patient with our own journey, as well as the different journeys that others take in their lives.
The path to self-love is potent. As we delve into this beautiful dimension that no one else truly has the power to create for or to take away from us, practicing self-love helps us to grow into our true nature. We have less of a need to justify our short-comings and we have more compassion for ourselves where before we might struggle to find personal meaning. We become more centered in our life purpose, discerning of those who might not be resonant for us, and we grow a thicker skin when interfacing with naysayers and critics.
Today and every day, ask yourself how you might appreciate what is powerfully unique about you. Ask yourself how you might celebrate the many triumphs you’ve made so far in this life! In a world of lack, be rebellious and give yourself permission to find your own path to self-love!
