THE ART OF SELF-LOVE.

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elf-love is the regard for one’s own happiness and wellbeing. This sounds extremely simple, but most people often find this daunting to practice and implement.

The picture that is usually portrayed of self-love, as we often see is commonly taking a deluxe bubble bath, going on solo-dates, and the list goes on. As much as these activities are effective, a lot of inner work is required for taking the right trajectory to fully accomplish self-love. Let’s talk about this “inner work” that’s essential.

In this process, a lot of introspection is required and this may sound very intricate but in reality, it is not. In reference to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, love and belonging is very essential in the pyramid and it can be nurtured by attending to your psychological needs, creating and fostering healthy relationships, building self-esteem and pursuing personal

True mastery of self-love involves evaluating, accepting and understanding your traumas, thus working towards healing from them. Basically, this involves looking for the void (root cause) that causes feelings of unfulfillment and unhappiness and fixing that. Journaling, meditation and therapy are essential tools required in combating this.

Another way is by curating an equilibrium within yourself and this enabling you to learn how to deal with extremities of negative emotions hence restoring balance in your inner self. Knowing the right ways to replenish your energy, nourish and comfort yourself when feeling low is vital.

Now that we’ve discussed about the inner work, lets get to the less boring part: how to cultivate self-love.

©     Practice gratitude and joy

©     Set healthy boundaries

©     Go on solo-dates

©     Practice self-rewarding eg, gifting yourself

©     Embrace solitude

©     Have intentional self-care routines

©      Regular autosuggestion/ affirming yourself

©     Build self confidence

©     Parent your inner child

©     Forgive yourself

Fully comprehending and implementing this brings out the realization that you are enough and don’t need to source your happiness and fulfillment from other people for you have all the answers you need from within. This will have a positive impact on your self-esteem, relationships and friendships because once your cup is filled, you can pour out to other people without feeling drained.

“Love yourself first, and everything else falls in line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” – Lucille Ball