A Journey to Self-Love

love yourself
Unfortunately, loving yourself isn’t as easy as it sounds. We are constantly pressured by the world around us to conform to an ‘idealist look’. A look that is nigh on impossible to achieve for us everyday guys and gals. But still we feel inferior to those few who fit the mould. Slowly but surely, society is opening its eyes and mind, and finally broadening the beauty spectrum. We are going to approach the subject of self confidence from a different angle. Rather than tell you how to love yourself, we are going to tell you why you should love and appreciate yourself. Because once you know why, there is nothing to hold you back.
There are millions of articles of step by step guides teaching you how to love yourself, but if it was that easy to gain self-confidence after three easy steps, we’d all have buckets of the stuff. Somehow these guides often fall short of the mark. Standing in the mirror saying that you love yourself with a serious lack of belief or conviction just doesn’t work. You can’t force yourself to love other people, so how are you supposed to force yourself to love you?
Understanding why self-confidence is vital to your happiness and health will allow you to welcome it into your life. We work hard to give up unhealthy habits such as eating too much junk food or smoking, yet never attempt to combat the habit of picking yourself apart in front of the mirror, comparing yourself to others, or feeling you are substandard. It is this toxic behaviour that is standing between you and a happier more-confident version of yourself. Stopping comparing yourself to others can be a tough hurdle to overcome. But realise that we all lead different lives, so how could we possibly all be the same? We don’t all have time to work out for 2 hours a day like the six pack possessing Instagram models, or the access to hair stylists and makeup artists to doll us up before we leave the house. And when it comes to magazines, the media can be photoshop felons. Even the women in the magazines don’t look like the women in the magazines. So how are you supposed to? Sometimes, ‘Go Compare!’ is not the answer.
Try taking a step back and look at someone you love. You see their beauty. And with that, their ‘flaws’ melt away. Appreciate yourself as you would a loved one, let your ‘flaws’ become insignificant to your happiness; because they are exactly that. Don’t give minor inconveniences like stretch marks or cellulite the pleasure of ruining your day, it should take more than a few dimples to do that!
Although we would if we could, we cannot love yourself for you. But we can provide a nudge in the right direction. Embark on your journey to self-love. Destination: Happiness.