How To: Love Yourself
Self-love might get tougher with every step. The act of forgiving is demanding, unsecured, and complex. It wants a lot of your emotions that you want to spare for better things. It demands a lot of space in your mind that it should not be deserving. It constantly keeps feeding you messed-up situations to convince you how not forgiving can be easier to do. And always, you fall for it. This is so untroubled, so quietly painless, that it almost turns into a habit. A habit of avoidance.
Let's talk about all the things you refuse to forgive yourself for. Out of a hundred, ninety-eight reasons why one doesn't stop blaming themselves is for how they appear to other people. Their looks, hair, face, eyebrows, arms, legs, body hair, weight, height, the list is uninterrupted. There are so many things about us that make us who we are. It makes us distinct. It makes us stand out. Would it be ridiculous to ask you, 'Why would you hate something that makes you stand out?'
We somewhere have made homes in our faults. We made ourselves feel comfortable in that world. And when spring comes, we refuse to step out and feel the wind. We deny that we deserve a spring. That is what faults do to us. They make peace with us but slowly keep cutting us deep. So, whenever we are greeted with something amazing, we usually find discomfort in accepting it because we think we don't deserve it. Your faults are not your boundaries, it's okay to step out. It's okay to move on and feel the wind. I promise it's serene. Don't let them define you, you're more to yourself than to them.
Look at yourself through the other side of the mirror. See it from a sight that's different from yours. Then, see for yourself. I bet you will see a ton of things you assumed they were. You are your own person, treasure that fact. Acknowledge the unsung acts of kindness your body does for you. For even the smallest cut, your body sends a thousand platelets to heal it like a bandaid, but if you cut your own mind with toxic thoughts, your body does not know how to heal that.
How the body knows physical defense mechanisms, which is why your eyelashes flutter and your eyes close before something is about to impact you. Your body is your own hero, and I think we give very less credit to this truth. It deserves to have poetries written on or, stories told, and love given all as it deserves to have. And here we hate it for how it does not appeal to our eyes? Not a good ratio now, is it?
Look at your hands, they let you hold hands with people you love, they let you touch the world. Look at your feet, they carry you to every dream of yours. Look at your stomach, it makes you so excited for those delicious treats, and it also grows butterflies! How pretty. Your heart has been pumping constantly so that you can live your life to the fullest. Every little atom in your body is working for you. Why? Because they love you.
Ask yourself how much care have you given to yourself. Then compare your answer with how much blame you have given to yourself. The comparison will surprise you. Self-care is something that attracts us all, and it begins at home. By home, I don't mean a roof, I mean the shelter to your soul. That is where the "self" begins. So, start from there.
💗 Forgive
The first step of 'How to: Love Yourself' is Forgiveness. It might not be one of your easiest jobs to do, but learn to let go. Those grudges, regrets, blames, and resentment are only pulling you down. They are the weeds that are putting a stop to your 'Love Yourself' process. Therefore, to love is to let go. Forgive yourself. Better things are on their way, and once the best one hits you, you will be grateful for letting go of your regrets.
💗 Accept
The next step of 'How to: Love Yourself' is Acceptance. It is okay if you like a certain thing to be a certain way, don't invite criticism for it. Once you accept your scars and flaws, you will start placing yourself in much more worthy minds. It is all connected, you accept yourself, and others will respectfully accept you back. Own your truth, and be proud of your mistakes because they made you the work of art that you are. Everyone around you has committed wrongs, but they stepped over it and grew further. This is exactly what you should be doing next.
💗 Care
The last step of 'How to: Love Yourself', is Care. Start taking care of yourself. As vague as it sounds, it is the last step. After you have crossed this, you will see yourself truly loving yourself for who you are. You start acknowledging your gains, your power, your love, your limits, and your emotions. Once you recognize those, loving yourself becomes way easier. Take care of your mental health, maintain a journal, and write in it how you feel throughout the day. Take care of your physical health, hit the gym, make a routine, eat healthily, drink enough water, and most importantly, stick to it. Do it for yourself.
And this, dear reader, is how self-love begins. Own your truth, draft your masterpiece, achieve greater things in life, but most importantly, look after yourself. Because self-love is not selfish, it's important. There is a magic shop out there for every one of us, but to find it, we must begin magic within us. When you keep yourself happy, you glow. It's a different radiance, and that is magic. When this glow reaches other people, it becomes inspiration. Self-love is addicting, but by far, it sculpts you into your true self. It unearths your potential, and you finally step out of the boundaries you fenced yourself in.
And I could say,
self-love looks beautiful on everyone <3
