Do you think loving yourself is a luxury that you can focus on when you have more time or your health is better?
Maybe you don’t feel like you deserve to love yourself. Perhaps you were told that it is selfish to love yourself.
Loving yourself can lead to improved health and more happiness.
Keep reading to find out if you are loving yourself.
What does it mean to love yourself?
We can toss around a lot of definitions, but I want to define this concept in behavioral terms. You can think of loving yourself as taking good care of yourself.
In You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay tells us that “Loving the self to me begins with never ever criticizing ourselves for anything.” Are you criticizing yourself?
I’ve talked to people who firmly said, “Of course, I love myself.” When I questioned them, I found that everyone else’s needs were more important than their needs. Their needs were not a priority.
Where are you on your list of priorities? Are you even on the list?
Here are a few behaviors that signal you are caring for yourself:
- You are able to say no without feeling guilty.
- You take time out for yourself on a regular basis.
- You know your needs and how take care of them.
- You celebrate yourself as a worthy, deserving, and lovable person.
How do you rate?
Two ways to add more self love
One way is to become aware and take positive steps to take better care of yourself. This sounds easy, but you may find it difficult to overcome the long standing habit of ignoring your needs.
Start by listing some ways to care for yourself. Pick one and get started. Notice how your life changes.
The second way is to address childhood issues. You may have emotional wounds that prevent you from loving yourself. These wounds can be old and deep.
Problem childhood wounds
What kind of wounds are preventing you from loving yourself? Any type of abuse will make it difficult. Some less intense experiences can be just as much of a problem.
Here are a few issues that can cause problems:
- A cold or unloving parent
- Parents who ignored your needs
- Being teased or bullied
- Being embarrassed or humiliated
- Feeling you are responsible for family problems
You may believe that these issues happen to a lot of people and aren’t affecting you. These issues are serious and can leave you feeling not good enough and unlovable.
How healing emotional wounds can lead to more self love
The poetry of emotion process can help you safely release emotional wounds from the past. You work with stories, metaphors, and images rather than painful memories.
As a part of the process, you engage a metaphoric or imagined helper. This helper represents the emotions and qualities you needed as a child. You want to be sure that your helper will supply the love you needed. Loving helpers include angels, grandparents, a cherished family pet, or a spiritual teacher.
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When you love yourself you are able to take care of your mental and physical health. Loving yourself is a part of a balanced life style.
Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
(Image: lifelikeapps @ Flickr)
