No one has the right to dictate you on how you should feel about yourself. Do not allow society to dictate you on how to live your life; on how your body and face should look like; and on how you should measure success in life. Loving and prioritizing yourself is not an easy task. In the society that we all currently live in, self-love and self-prioritization can be harshly judged as selfish and narcissistic — which is so wrong. On the contrary, loving and prioritizing yourself is a necessity in our society.
Self-love is having a high regard for your own wellbeing and happiness. Self-prioritizing means taking care of your own needs and if you don’t make them a priority, no one else will. There is nothing selfish nor narcissistic about honouring our sense of self.
Here are some ways of loving and prioritizing yourself:
- You don’t need a stamp of approval from others. Reflect on this for a moment: You can be the freshest, most delicious organic red apple out there, yet there’s always going to be someone out there who loathes apples. You don’t base your self-esteem on how many Facebook or Instagram likes you get. The only approval you need is from the person in the mirror.
- Don’t be too hard on yourself. Learn to forgive yourself when you make mistakes or did something foolish. Remember to celebrate your losses too! Mistakes are lessons in disguise meant to turn us into our better and wiser version of ourselves.
- Don’t allow Photoshopped and surgically enhanced models define beauty for you. Whom we deemed as beautiful reflects our core values. Beauty is culturally based but in an ever-expanding world, the standard of beauty is becoming more inclusive. Globalization further means that there is an audience out there that will appreciate you in all your magnificence. However, appreciation should emanate from within. You must accept yourself for who you are. Embrace your flaws, battle scars, and flabs. Just like you, models don’t look perfect in real life. Also, ask yourself this: do you really want to have full duck lips? Do you really want a frozen face devoid of emotions? Do you want to look like a puffed-up bobblehead because of too much cheek fillers? There’s nothing wrong with a few enhancements here and there but no one can turn back the clock. You can’t fight gravity. We all age — therefore age gracefully. Embrace and love the qualities that make you unique and different from the rest.
- Just say No. Don’t be a people-pleaser. You are not treating yourself with love and respect when you say yes to something when you really wanted to say no.
- Eat to live. Only eat food that nourishes your body. Watch what you eat carefully. You only have one body, treat it with kindness.
- Pamper yourself once a week. I personally treat myself to the hair salon once a week. I work hard all week therefore weekends are reserved for pampering. I have my mani-pedi every weekend. I have massage every weekend. I have once a month session with my therapist for my emotional wellness. These are necessities. Yes, I love myself and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that!
- End all toxic relationships. This is a necessity. Be mindful of who you surround yourself with. Anyone less than amazing doesn’t deserve to be a part of your inner circle. Too much drama is overrated. Life is short to spend it with miserable company.
- Move that body! Daily exercise helps you control your weight. It makes you happier and helps you live healthier. It increases your energy level and decreases the risks of illness.
- Live positively and happily. A positive attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely. Choose to live with positivity and happiness. Smiling doesn’t cost a thing and laughter is indeed the best medicine.
- Keep calm. Don’t let what’s happening around you get inside you and weigh you down. Always strive to find the calm in the chaos.
- Be passionate in everything that you do. In order to be successful in life, you have to first establish what you’re passionate about. That’s the secret of success. Passion is positive and wondrous energy. You have to thrive to be alive.
- Have fun! Do at least one fun thing every day.You only have one life to live — make it matter; make it meaningful; and yes, make it fun! You must keep having fun every day you have left — because there is no other way of life.
Make this your mantra every day: self-love and self-prioritization is not selfish. Remember, you cannot genuinely love another until you know how to love yourself. You cannot truly help another unless you help yourself first. Everything in life — including love and change — starts from within. Everything in life starts from within.