by By Nicole Schmidt
Self-love is essential in everyday life, helping design who you are which can influence you at work, in school, or even choosing a partner. Self-love is beyond wearing makeup, it is loving yourself no matter the circumstances, learning from our actions that help our mental, physical, and spiritual growth.
Having a balanced lifestyle, setting boundaries and knowing how to say no to anything that may harm you emotionally, physically, and spiritually while allowing yourself to be open to the world is important to developing self-love.
Self-love is more than just being your best self, it is also being cautious of the influences in your life. Surrounding yourself with the right people can set you on the right path, but there are those who can be toxic to your lifestyle, which can become a fork in the road of your life.
A toxic person, although they might know it, can make the difference between maintaining a healthy lifestyle and finding yourself on the wrong side of a bad decision. A toxic person is always in denial of their wrong doings, it is okay to let someone go even though they don’t realize what they do wrong.
Northampton student, Jada Johnson said, “I personally practice self love by listening to what my body and soul desire most. Some days I crave attention from my close friends and go out all day, but other days i crave being alone and working on personal things. Of course every once and a while I’ll do the “basic self-care” like taking a hot bath or shower, face and hair masks, and maybe even just drinking tea. Everyone has their own personal version of self care; take the time to sit and figure out what you body and should personally crave.”
We as humans are constantly making mistakes, it’s what we do. Learn how to forgive yourself for your mistakes and then grow from them. Being too hard on yourself will only make you stressed out even more, you have to accept your humanity. Try to remember if you have grown and learned from the mistakes you’ve made, it is not a failure.
You will love yourself more when you take better care of your basic needs by practicing good self-care. Nourish yourself daily through healthy activities such as exercise, a proper sleep schedule, healthy intimacy and social interactions, meditating, or even praying.
When it comes to loving yourself, don’t overwhelm yourself trying to do every single step all at the same time. First try off with something simple that you may be interested in like praying night, see how it works out for you and then take any further steps you may need.
