LOVE YOURSELF (FOR REAL THIS TIME)

BY TIFFANY STEWART

It’s no secret -- everyone wants to be loved. It’s at the core of the human experience. To love and be loved is everything, and the person we spend the most time with deserves our purest love. As quiet as it’s kept, that deepest connection isn’t with your partner, your friends or even your kids – it’s with yourself. Developing a loving relationship with yourself is critical to your overall well-being and mental health, and there’s no better time than the present to work on that relationship.

Digital creator and lifestyle influencer Amani Richardson (@amanirakeia) calls this the “meantime” period of our lives.“ In the meantime, I’m working on deepening my spiritual practices. In the meantime, I’m choosing discipline over comfort. In the meantime, I’m protecting my mental space by keeping a clean physical space. And in the meantime, I’m no longer wasting time by eagerly thinking about the things that are waiting on me.”

As much as we crave intimacy and companionship, take this time to love the most important person in your life: you. In a world where we’re raised to put others first, self-love can often feel selfish. It’s also a big reason why we tend to seek love from external sources. The problem with that is it can be taken away at any moment. When you set aside time and dedicate yourself to building a strong foundation of self-love, nothing or no one can interfere. Believe it or not, self-love is the most selfless thing you can do because you teach others how to treat you best. So, spend some quality time just getting to know yourself. Take yourself on dates every now and then. Love yourself deeply and without guilt. The rest will follow, and it’ll be everything you deserve, and more.