We talk about self-love as if it’s something easy to attain. Read a motivational quote, post a fierce selfie, dismiss anyone who treats you less than you deserve and indulge yourself in life’s little wonders. Do all that and you’ll be basking in self-love, right?
As I’ve taken this journey to come to terms with myself throughout the last a few years, I have learnt that loving myself isn’t something that happens overnight, nor something that is always consistent.
"At best, I find myself enjoying certain parts of myself, while being frustrated with others."
Never really enjoying the whole. Always trying to one up myself. Wanting to better myself. Maintaining the expectations I’ve set for myself, all while trying to uphold the ones enforced upon me. I am constantly battling to create a perfect pendulum of balance. And in always trying to do better and plan ahead, I forget that the core of self-love is being able to appreciate that I grow from my actions, the good & especially the bad.
Self-love doesn’t come easy.
It requires dedication, patience & thought. Self-analysis & self-criticism. To push ourselves outside of our comfort zone. It requires us to show up each day and do so authentically. But most of all, it requires us to be forgiving of ourselves and to have compassion for our short-comings. And on a day that’s based on showing love, I hope that we all get a little closer to that, so that we’re a little closer to receiving the same acceptance & kindness from others.
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