Give a thought, think of three people you love the most… done!
I am sure just the thought of their names would have filled your heart with warmth. Who are these three chosen ones– maybe your spouse, love, kids, friends or family? Are you one of those three? Are you the one whom you love? If yes, congratulations!! Your life surely is filled with positivity and compassion. If no, think again. You are the most important possession universe has given you, and you fail to shower love on God’s precious gift to you, that is YOURSELF. Most of us are so busy loving people around us that we forget to love ourselves.
What is self-love? Self-love is the love we have for oneself. It is having regard for our own wellbeing and happiness. It is pleasing ourselves the same way we please our most loved ones. Be the one you love the most. To quote Buddha here, “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection”.
Human tendency does not allow us to keep ourselves above everyone around. Our brain is trained in a way to love others before we love ourselves. It is the characteristics of being a good and perfect human being. But in this zeal for perfectionism we forget who we are. Society has taught us since childhood that self-care is being selfish; and in the race of being a perfect person for everyone we lose ourselves.
Self-love motivates our positive behaviour and inner peace. A happy soul spreads happiness around. Depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, anger, loneliness, sleep disorder are some of the common problems prevailing in this generation. Data shows 50% of mental health problems are established by age 14 and 75% by the age 24. What is going wrong? Why is there so much discontentment everywhere? What is leading to even the young generation being trapped in the mental wellness issues?
We have been running a race of being better. We forget to embrace who we are, instead we want to be like how someone wants us to be. Sometimes we are too hard on ourselves to be perfect and excel in everything. Mind it, studies show that perfectionists are at a higher risk of physical and mental illness.
When our loved ones excel and achieve good in life we appreciate, encourage and pamper them. If they fail, we are compassionate to support and take care of them. This makes us good human beings. Self-compassion is the art of being kind, understanding and supportive to yourself; when you fail or deviate from the line of perfectionism. It’s okay to not be perfect. Embrace what you have, hug yourself, caress yourself, be happy for how you are. Pamper yourself when you feel down. Push yourself up. Ditch the idea of being flawless and perfect. Self-compassion is the key to set us free from the grip of mental health issues.
Being passionate about oneself has tremendous benefits: – better mental health makes us a better person. With more self-acceptance we have good self-esteem and are confident and motivated; making us socially powerful. We feel good physically and are a happy smiling soul. The smile and confidence adds on to our beauty. We are overall a happy personality with a positive aura.
The best way to keep yourself motivated is to start your day with a positive affirmation. Let’s all make a practice to say some affirmations to us every morning – “I appreciate all the ways that I am unique.”, “I love myself just as I am today.”, “I love each part of myself.”
Love yourself, embrace yourself, remind yourself.. that you are worthy of all love and happiness.
Leave a Reply