Day 1 What Is Self-Love?
“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” —Psalm 139:14
There’s a lot of talk these days about self-love. How often have you heard “You can’t love someone else until you love yourself” or “You can’t pour from an empty cup”? I would bet that at some point, someone has said to you that you “need to treat yourself like you would treat your best friend.” These are just a few of the suggestions that people offer about self-love. Self-love sounds great, but what is it exactly? Is it pampering yourself with a shopping spree or a makeover? Is it reading inspirational books and self-help articles? Is it having a relationship with someone who teaches you to love yourself more? No. It is not any of these things (although they may help). Before we’re able to practice self-love, we first need to understand what it means. Self-love is a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our physical, psychological, and spiritual growth. It means having a high regard for your own well-being and happiness. Self-love means taking care of your own needs and not sacrificing your well-being to please other people. It is not settling for anything less than you deserve. Self-love means that you accept yourself fully, exactly as you are right at this moment. Self-love is not something that you have or don’t have. Self-love is an action. That being said, self-love can look different for every person. What it looks like for me might be very different from what it looks like for you. The first step is to figure out what self-love means for you.