The Importance of Self-love

Loving myself is important to my life because, through self-love, I learn who I am. Loving myself has always been a key part of my life. Even if at some point in my life I didn’t love myself. Being able to love myself had its challenges which had started like anyone else, I’m sure. It had been tricky when I had low self-esteem, and I had seen myself as an outsider. Loving yourself is something every person needs at some point in their life. Which is why I believe loving yourself is one of the joyous things in life.

If you’re happy with who you are then it’s easier to love yourself and be loved my someone else. But in my case, that didn’t happen I always felt that I had to be just like others. That I had to have the expectation of being like society. For example, during my years in elementary school I would have to wear uniforms. Girls would wear dresses, and I would wear dresses too. But I never saw myself being pretty like the other girls had looked in theirs. I had thought I didn’t meet my “expectations”. Later, I realized it never really was my “expectations” but societies expectations that I had always tried to reach for. I would always have the habit of following into societies footsteps. During middle school I would always read around social media, “It helps the mind and there aren’t any stresses on your shoulders when worrying about what others think of you.” In my mind it had indicated to dress however you want without caring. Because, it’s true you could’ve taken it anyway, but that had been my way. Middle school is harsh for teenagers who have low self-esteem. It’s had been unpleasant for me since middle school was having an immense situation with bullying. I had abhorred to see others upset because, they were picked on by the most foolish things. I realized I wanted to help by giving out compliments and asking how others were doing. It made an impact towards others when they had learned to love themselves and learn they have someone to talk to in difficult times. I believe it helped me since they would ask how I was doing as well, and in return I’d be given compliments that made me love who I am. Now in my teen years, I believe that being social helps you to love yourself. Being able to find who you are and what you can be can be figured out by doing so. Simply ask how a person is doing, start a conversation, try to not be so narrow-minded, and have love for others. Giving positivity can make you receive positive feedback on your end. I’ve received respect back and, caring people who are now positive towards my life.

I believe everyone should be able to love themselves before they can love others. Being in the state of happiness will give you the ambition to love yourself. By accepting yourself and being who ever you’d like to be, your presence can make others happy. When I learned to love myself, I realized my day goes by so much smoother. Loving yourself is impactful and can be impactful towards others. Loving yourself is something I believe everyone should do whole heartedly.

Works Cited

1. Baumeister, R. F., & Campbell, J. D. (1999). The Psychology of Self-Esteem: A Revolutionary Approach to Self-Understanding that Launched a New Era in Modern Psychology. Jossey-Bass.
2. Branden, N. (1994). The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem: The Definitive Work on Self-Esteem by the Leading Pioneer in the Field. Bantam Books.
3. Chaudhary, H., & Kaur, P. (2015). Role of self-esteem in building healthy relationship among adolescents. Indian Journal of Positive Psychology, 6(2), 216-219.
4. Crocker, J., & Park, L. E. (2004). The costly pursuit of self-esteem. Psychological Bulletin, 130(3), 392-414.
5. Harter, S. (1999). The Construction of the Self: A Developmental Perspective. Guilford Press.
6. Heatherton, T. F., & Polivy, J. (1991). Development and validation of a scale for measuring state self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(6), 895-910.
7. McKay, M., Fanning, P., & Davis, M. (2007). Self-Esteem: A Proven Program of Cognitive Techniques for Assessing, Improving, and Maintaining Your Self-Esteem. New Harbinger Publications.
8. Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the Adolescent Self-Image. Princeton University Press.
9. Ruffin, J. (2016). Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
10. Sowislo, J. F., & Orth, U. (2013). Does low self-esteem predict depression and anxiety? A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychological Bulletin, 139(1), 213-240.

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