Most people seek companionship at some period. Love. The word itself brings up feelings of warmth and peace. Love, a subjective term, can look so different among perspectives, yet so familiar at the same time. Love can be expressed in different forms. Love may look like the connection between two romantic partners, family members, friends, and/or pets. Most important is the love between self. How has this love looked for you? For myself, it has been smooth at times and tough at other times. However, the beautiful thing about self-love is the ability to care for or fix this relationship at any point in time. You do not have to wait on another person to fix this love. Repairing and/or strengthening happens on our time (and by our motivation to do so).

Incorporating goals and intentions around improving self-love has become inspirational. Sometimes the love may feel fragile or sensitive, making it a bit easier to neglect or a bit intimidating to address. However, this inner relationship can guide and influence the relationship between external parties. Self-relationships provide us with deeper insights into who we are, what we need, and what we don’t want. Self-love directs how you address adverse experiences throughout life also.

So how do we cultivate or even prioritize a movement of self-love into our spaces? I believe the answer to that question involves various parts, such as prioritizing and respecting oneself and being transparent. Deborah Khoshaba, Psy.D., notes that cultivating self-love involves:

The work of being mindful, prioritizing needs
Incorporating self-care into your routine
Establishing and implementing boundaries
Protection of health
Giving and accepting forgiveness
Being intentional

Even in incorporating one or two tasks, self-love will come more naturally. A slow introduction into embracing at least one of these tasks into your everyday routine will help to build a toolbox designed to bring out the best version of who you are and make the year, and years to come, more comfortable and manageable even during tough times.

References:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/experimentations/201705/12-keys-great-self-relationship-starting-now

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/get-hardy/201203/seven-step-prescription-self-love