In a society that profits from your self-doubt, loving yourself is a rebellious act.
Anonymous.

You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.
Buddha

Self-love is at the core of all healing on your spiritual journey. When you love yourself and accept yourself, you will have the insight and confidence to create the life you desire. The life that is your birthright.

Things in your life will fall into place because when you love yourself you are coming from a place of authenticity and groundedness. When you love yourself, you have more energy, you are aligned with your passion, and you create healthy boundaries with others.

Some people are under the false impression that self-love is selfish. That to have our own passions and dreams is to be selfish. There are many women in particular who have been raised and socialized to believe that they must never put themselves first. That putting everyone else before them is the correct thing to do. Men too have often been socialized to believe that self-love is something weak, something that should not take priority in their lives.

Of course, I’m not talking about coming from your ego or being self-indulgent and self-centered. Self-love is not the belief that others and indeed the world are here to serve you and your wants. Narcissism is very real, but true self-love is the opposite.

The kind of self-love I am advocating is the kind of self-love that means you value yourself as a spiritual being. You honor yourself, mind, body, and soul, and you are tuned into your power and purpose, knowing what you need and desire.

Sometimes, self-love means you need to be firm with boundaries. You need to be aware of where your energy goes and protect it in certain situations.

Self-love is NOT about thinking you are the best. Self-love is NOT about ignoring your shadow side or the experiences, setbacks, and traumas that have been part of your life so far.

What it IS about is loving yourself unconditionally, and that can be extremely challenging for the majority of people.

When you love yourself unconditionally, you can release the need for external validation, accolades, and attention and get into the driving seat of your life to follow and express what matters to you at a core level.

Getting to unconditional self-love does not happen in an instant. It can take a long time to release deeply held beliefs and core wounds held from childhood. To release these imprints, energy work is really essential.

However, these simple steps can help you to start changing your perception of yourself and get you on the path towards loving yourself unconditionally.

Believe in your Power to Create your Life

You have to believe that you are a powerful, multidimensional being with the ability to create the life you dream of. You must experience deep trust and belief in the purpose of your existence right now.

The only way to live a wonderful life of abundance is to believe that it is possible. That belief fosters self-love and self-love fosters that belief. They are intrinsically linked.

Start by telling yourself that no one else is YOU. There will always be people drawn to what YOU do. No matter how many people you think are out there doing the same thing or wanting the same outcome. YOU are still unique! YOU must believe this.

Treat your Body with Respect

Nourish your body with health-giving foods. Hydrate yourself properly, move your body every single day and get the right amount of sleep to leave you feeling refreshed and motivated. Avoid things that may harm you, such as too much alcohol, tobacco, drugs, processed foods, and a sedentary lifestyle.

These things might sound obvious to you, but how can you really love yourself if you don’t do the minimum to care for the powerful human vessel that you have incarnated into?

The more you take care of yourself and treat yourself with respect, the deeper your self-love will grow. It is literally NEVER too late to adopt a healthier way of life.

Create Loving Boundaries

You are not supposed to be available for everyone at all times. You get to choose what energy you allow into your experience and what energy you decide you do not want.
If you are the kind of person to take on other’s problems all the time, you should set some clearer boundaries.

If you are the go-to friend when someone has a problem, make sure that you do not drop everything you are doing all the time to tend to someone else’s energy. Ask yourself how it makes you feel? If it feels draining to you at that moment, decide to get back to them later when it is convenient for you. Any friendship that doesn’t respond well to this might need to be reconsidered.

This is a very simple but CRUCIAL step in self-love. You have to prioritise your own well-being. Even as parents, we can not give away all parts of ourselves until we are depleted, for this is counter-productive.

Healthy, loving boundaries are integral to self-love.

Follow What Lights you Up

You’ve probably heard the Wayne Dyer quote ‘Don’t die with your music still in you.’

I’ve always loved that quote because it reminds me that it is not selfish to follow my passion and purpose. Many, many people in this world are doing what their parents expected them to do, what their teachers wanted them to do, what society told them to do, what their gender dictated them to do, and on it goes in different ways throughout different cultures.

It’s never too late to discover and follow your passion. Your purpose for being here, your unique skills, talents, creativity, and desires are unique to you. The biggest act of self-love is knowing what these are and making sure they form a big part of your life.

Often our passions were apparent to us in childhood; think back to what you loved as a six year old or a nine-year old. We can sometimes find our gifts when we remember what it was like to be inspired and following our bliss as children without limitations.

Knowing your life purpose and filling your days with your passion is key to living fully in your bliss.