Self-Love has a different definition to everyone. In a world that often promotes self-indulgence and instant gratification, the concept of self-love has become increasingly ambiguous. It may be used to prompt a much needed yoga session or it can be used to justify narcissism and habitually ‘treating’ oneself at the expense of others. If we choose to refer to self-love as pursuing what is truly best for our mind, body, and soul in the long and short term, it may not always reference what is easy, putting ourselves first, or fleeting moments of pleasure like ice cream whenever we want. Viewing self-love in this way allows us to explore the interconnectedness of all aspects of our lives, and encourages us to embrace self-love as a journey rather than a destination.
Practicing Self-Love
Practicing self-love holistically begins by changing our self-dialogue, adopting an encouraging coach’s mindset. Instead of mindlessly binge-watching or succumbing to a busy schedule, we prioritize moments of relaxation and long-awaited projects. This process reveals a system of self-encouragement and motivation by seeing each aspect of our lives in the context of the whole. We can gain this perspective by identifying motivation and positive direction in one area of our life and extending its energy to other areas. Taking care of ourselves demonstrates our self-worth and prompts adjustments to our inner dialogue, choices, and activities.
A Team Mentality
Areas of our lives are like players on a team. When one makes a great play, the entire team gains energy and focus, they all gain confidence around their cohort who is excelling. This is how we should translate momentum from a successful area of our life to others that are less so. This is how we should translate eating a salad into motivation to read an informative book, or go for a walk, or really work hard on a presentation. Each act of quality can be seen in the mirror of our life as a whole. We should let these acts of care and value resonate within ourselves, not for a vain pride, but to move into other areas of our minds and bodies and souls. Like a little snowball rolling downhill gaining size with its initial momentum, we can look for the smallest start to introduce increasing movements of positive change and value in our daily lives.
Love for Yourself Comes From Love for Others
It’s important to remember, genuine self-love cannot exist without an equal love for others. Our health is linked to our environment, which includes those close and dear to us. To steer clear of narcissistic tendencies, it is crucial for self-love to encompass cultivating love and care for others. Learning to love and care for ourselves in the short and long term teaches us to use the same approach, tools, energy in loving others. In this, we soon learn the same little bit of movement in loving someone else builds to deeper care for them as well as a stimulus in a growing care for yourself.
So self-love, in a healthy definition, should stem from an entirely holistic view and approach to life. Mind, body, and soul are shown care in their cultivation. This love is not contained within oneself but rather extends to our relationships with others, driven by purpose and practice. Just like a coach cultivating the potential and worth of an athlete, we should invest energy fostering growth and strength in our own lives. Washing your face, calling a close friend, praying or going for a walk all express self-love and value. Let us invest the necessary care and time to discover expressed love, allowing it to gradually flourish into all aspects of our lives. Self-love is experienced holistically when embraced holistically.
