With the rise of social media, “self-love” has become an often-discussed topic in our society. But what does it really mean? And is it really worth all the hype?
Depending on whom you ask, some may say that the concept of self-love is overrated. This article doesn’t aim to prove anyone right or wrong… But if you ask me, I’d say that the concept of self-love isn’t expressed nearly enough. I guess it all comes down to each individual’s personal experiences.
In Mark 12:31, scripture commands us to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But far too often, we don’t put enough emphasis on the second part—as yourself. We often fail to realize that self-love is the beginning of true love.
In this article, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on what self-love really means (to me), and what has led me on this journey.
Be there for others, but never leave yourself behind.
Dodinsky
What Self-Love Means to Me
Let me begin by saying that self-love is more than just a trend. It can empower us to have a deeper appreciation and acceptance for ourselves, both physically and emotionally.
Depending on whom you ask or where you look, you’ll find several definitions of self-love. After all, we all have different needs, and it often looks different for everyone. Lately, I’ve found myself pondering on what self-love really means to me, and what I hope to achieve on this journey.
In essence, self-love is the foundation for a happier, healthier me. It involves living life on my own terms, making choices that support my well-being, strengthening my relationship with myself, and treating myself with kindness and compassion when I need it most.
Loving myself means doing the hard things, like going after my dreams, even when it’s frightening and uncomfortable. Most importantly, it means being confident enough to see myself the way God sees me.
The truth is, reading inspirational posts about self-love and actually loving ourselves are two different things. I encourage you to reflect on what self-love really means to you, and start working on improving your own personal journey.
My Journey to Self-Love
Growing up, I considered myself to be a fairly confident and optimistic girl. But somewhere along the way, I lost touch with who I was.
A few years ago, I struggled with silent battles of insecurity and negative self-talk. These issues were pretty severe—and seemed to have come out of nowhere.
The truth is that life can be full of demands and distractions. And if we’re not mindful—we can easily lose ourselves in other people, their opinions, our mistakes, our responsibilities—and so much more. Realizing that my peace and happiness was slowly slipping away, I started seeking change.
Over time, through prayer and several personal occurrences, God led me on this beautiful journey. Basically, I had to go inward to find out what was missing. The more I reconnected with myself, the more empowered I began to feel. I slowly adopted new habits that have changed the way I view myself and the world around me.
Through self-love, I’ve reevaluated my values and priorities. I’m not easily swayed by what other people think. And I have a more positive approach to life’s challenges.
Putting It into Practice
One thing I’ve discovered on my journey, is that loving yourself is hard work. It requires ongoing practice, daily intentionality, and self-accountability. It also involves acknowledging the good… and the not-so-good things about ourselves… and adjusting accordingly.
But like most things in life, loving ourselves becomes easier with practice. Here are a few ways you can practice loving yourself through your daily habits:
- Use positive affirmations to correct harmful thought-patterns that hinder your well-being.
- Commit to making self-care a priority.
- Engage in activities that promote self-expression.
- Acknowledge your past experiences and embrace self-forgiveness.
- Assert boundaries.
- Be honest (with yourself and others) about your needs and limitations.
- Reflect on what you’re grateful for.
- Focus on your strengths and achievements (instead of focusing solely on your weaknesses and failures).
- Become more self-aware throughout your day.
- Spend time alone.
Ultimately, by embracing self-love, we can achieve a greater sense of joy, purpose, and fulfillment in life. But the journey isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, as some might have you believe. In fact, loving yourself may be one of the hardest things you’ll ever learn to do. But it’s completely worth the effort. Because when you commit to loving yourself from the inside, things on the outside start falling into place!
43 responses to “What Self-Love Means to Me, And Why It’s Important”
Beautiful article!
Thanks for reading, Brandi!
Loved reading it! In my opinion, self love is a crucial aspect for every one of us on this earth.
Agreed, Hari. Self-love is crucial indeed. Glad you enjoyed this piece. ❤️
Rereading your message about self-love really resonated with me. Understanding how to initiate and sustain it is crucial, and I value your wise words.
I’m so happy to hear that this post resonates with you, Queen. Self-love is a sacred journey. Thanks for reading, dear.
This is beautifully written and such an important thing for us to do. Thank you for being so transparent and sharing your journey!
My pleasure, Tandy. Glad you enjoyed it!
Love all of this! Especially about looking inward to find out what’s missing. So true that once we fix that, everything else will start to fall into place. Great article!!
Yes, it all starts “within” literally, Andrea. I’m still growing and working on myself, but things have gotten so much better in my life since I started this journey. Thanks for reading & sharing with us!
Loved reading this article! Prayer and self love is so important!
I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed reading this post, Samantha. And yes, prayer and self-love is everything. Thanks for stopping by, love! ❤️
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure! ❤️
Sheenia, this is so good.
Thanks, friend. So glad you enjoyed this post! ❤️
I love this! Self-Love is such an incredible journey. Thank you so much for sharing!
Love this. Self love is so important!
I loved absolutely everything about this reading!
Glad to hear it, Selene!
Great read! I especially love the part where you said “ Self-love means doing the hard things, like going after my dreams, even when it’s frightening and uncomfortable. Most importantly, it means being confident enough to see myself the way God sees me.”
So true and couldn’t agree more!
This comment really touched my heart, Cassie. Thank you so much for reading!
Good stuff. Keep up the good work.
Beautiful and honest article, thanks for sharing.
“..being confident enough to see myself the way God sees me.” This! I love it.🥰 Being honest with myself about my short-comings and rebuilding my self-esteem played major contributions towards my confidence. This was crucial in my introspection of Self-Love. Empowering post 💗 Thank you for sharing!
Self-honesty is key, Jasmine. It allows us to work on the parts of ourselves that need more love & attention. Thanks for reading!
You hit the nail on the head! Loved it when you said, “True love begins with self-love.”
The first sign that made me realize I needed to start my own self-love journey was noticing how harsh and critical I was being with myself – while others weren’t with themselves…
I’m still learning, but at least I’m making some progress 🙂
I’m still learning as well, Giada. But at least we’re finally on the right path. Thanks for reading! ❤️
Great article! I agree self-love takes work. And I will be applying your tips to my mommy lifestyle.
This was so lovely to read, and a great exploration of self-love, and how it is an individual and unique thing for all of us. A great reminder to look inward and find what it is we need and put things in place to secure that. Thanks!
I love your article and we wrote about the topic with different lenses. I’m a therapist and wrote about the psychological and mental health aspect of self-love https://pantearahimian.com/what-self-love-truly-means-and-5-ways-to-cultivate-it/
I checked out your article, Pantea. Love the insight you provided on this topic as well! ❤️
Self-love is the epicenter of love. Without it, it will become difficult to love others. Great article!
Loved this post. I think self love is one of the things we most forget about when it comes to loving outwardly.
Self-love is 100% the foundation to a healthy and happy self! Enjoyed reading this article–beautiful!
Beautiful, great reminder.
It took me time to love and accept myself. Self-love is an absolute must to feel happier, more confident, and becoming more successful
Beautiful post. I agree that … “when you commit to loving yourself from the inside, things on the outside start falling into place!” Warm regards, Nancy Andres at Colors 4 Health
Ikr! Self-love is the best love. Thanks for reading!
Self-love is so important! It definitely helps me show up towards others in an even more loving manner when I’m taking good care of myself and loving myself.
Amazing. I saved it.
I think I have a problem with self-love because I was so stressed out and busy last year. I`ll try to use affirmations, be honest with myself, and set healthy boundaries. Thank you for the good tips!