Self Love and all that jazz..

I struggle with loving myself more often than not.

People around me, my friends, family and clients all are struggling with this in different intensities. At this point I wonder if this is natural or learned?

We focus on receiving love from outside.

‘Do you love me? Why do you love me? Tell me, how much you love me?’ we ask our lovers, I believe in an attempt to find answers in ‘others’ which we cannot find in our own selves.

What if I were to ask these questions to myself?

I almost feel scared to answer because it would mean that I have to sit with myself, look beyond the clothes I bought for ‘myself’ and go deeper in my skin for which I have bought all this fancy skincare in the name of self love.

It becomes much easier, and sometimes even comfortable to perceive our value defined by others who love us (our partners, friends or family). That’s how we were brought up, right? ‘Get married’, ‘have kids’, ‘build a family’, otherwise you are worthless. :/

When were we ever taught to love and respect ourselves?

This way we also end up putting so much expectation or responsibility of that love on ‘others’, people who are in some way struggling themselves.

I read somewhere 'the longest relationship you have is with yourself' and that stuck with me. It has undertones of being morbid but also feels comforting to me.

It motivated me to start nourishing the longest relationship I am going to have.

Although, I know and truly understand that this is not easy. And that is why we try, and we try either by ourselves or by taking some help, if needed, to just love ourselves without any conditions or judgements. :)