Finding A Healthy Balance Between Self-Love And Reality

One of the hardest aspect of life to explain or understand is what humans think, even those who understand themselves have to say some things out to be understood again. Every one of us only know ourselves, what we are thinking or about to do. So only I can love myself more than anyone could. This is where self-love comes in.

Personally, I'd say I do love myself, my body and everything about me but if I'm being honest, there are some things I'm yet to accept about myself and that's because they are things I want to change. If I never get to change them, will that make me love myself less or harm myself? Of course, not. But a reminder keeps me in reality.

Even though I feel like I'm not loving myself enough, I think I understand to a good extent where self love can hurt me or others. I've actually never thought of it in a negative light, where someone who practices self-love can bring harm to themselves or to others but it's a reality I've brought myself to understand and to face it.

Self love is a great attitude because even the Bible recognizes it to be one of the first things you need to love your neighbours. One who doesn't love himself can not love another truly, we love ourselves to love others better. Personally, it took me time to start showing myself love and even now, I am not perfect in it.

I remember years ago until like three to four years ago, I didn't like my looks from my face to my body size. I listened too much to what people say about how I look and I failed to realize early enough that I've been made the way I am and I can only try to stay healthy and happy in my own body. I realized later and I laugh at myself today.

I laugh because I began to even love my old self more than my present self, I saw my old pictures some days ago and I was like "So I was even looking beautiful then and I failed to see it, why did I do that to myself?" Now, it feels like I didn't appreciate God's work on my life enough but I try to do that now as much as I can and even better.

It's not that I let the process of loving myself get into my head to reject concerns from others or neglect things I need to do to keep my body in good health all round. I think where self love can cause harm is when I just accept myself as I am and do not try to improve in my life in ways I know and could. Being stagnant in loving myself.

While change is constant, growth happens everyday and everytime, I believe one who professes love should be able to effect beautiful or better changes in one's life and in the life of others. So when I say I love myself, I should be able to improve my life in every aspects possible with the help of those who love me too of course.

Self love shouldn't be wishful thinking, away from what reality says. It should be facing reality with what you've been blessed with and trying to make the best out of what you have. Wishful thinking can not only harm you but could bring harm to people around you or make people not feel good about you and your self-love journey.