6 Amazing Benefits of Learning to Love Yourself
No matter how much the hardest among us deny this – we all have a desire to be loved. Often, it’s a romantic love that we crave. We are caught up in our loneliness and it’s normal to have a want for companionship. Though, romance isn’t everyone’s struggle or want – it may be a familial want or a platonic friendship. While for some it may be a combination of all of these.
Rejection and hurt can leave us feeling unfulfilled and disillusioned with how we expect relationships to play out. When they don’t go as we want them to we often blame ourselves and wonder where we went wrong… that’s not what it’s about.
This is where learning to love yourself comes in – and that comes with some incredible benefits, here are six.
You’ll Be Large & In Charge
Instead of making bad choices because you’re being led by shame, guilt, or fear – you will be empowered to make choices that truly make sense for who you are – meaning you will be living your authentic life. Rather than living a life that only pleases others, you will live a life that brings satisfaction to you. Self-love means trying to honor yourself because you know your needs are just as important as others.
You Set Boundaries & Stick to Them
Once you have the hang of honoring your needs you start to feel more confident, which means you are more assertive. Of course, this results in a more purposeful attitude, especially when it comes to dating. Your awareness begins to grow when you see who is wasting your time, and you are strong enough to move on without them. More to the point, you are strong enough to set clear boundaries with people and stick to them.
The Approval Seeking Will Stop
When you truly love yourself, you stop worrying about what everyone else thinks about you – which means you’re a less defensive person and more confident about living a life that is authentic for you. Why would you need acceptance from everyone else when you truly accept yourself?
You’ll Be a Conscious Decision Maker
Loving yourself gives you the courage to cut things from your life that don’t truly bring you joy or provide you with ample space to grow. When you value yourself and make choices that are intended to honor you rather than harm you, making courageous decisions is easy.
You Will Enjoy Alone Time
A lot of people get caught up in keeping busy schedules simply because they’re terrified of feeling or being alone. You surround yourself with people, throw yourself into work, and make decisions that help you avoid that loneliness. What’s the point of doing all these things you don’t enjoy? You could be filling that time with things that you actually enjoy doing – whether it’s meditation, swimming, writing, or watching a movie. It doesn’t need to feel scary to spend time alone, you should enjoy time with yourself. Self-love brings more comfort when you’re spending time in your own company.
Happiness
You don’t need to find happiness in relationships, whether they’re romantic or not. Being happy requires only the love of oneself. When you start taking responsibility for it and stop giving your power away to everyone else, you will naturally feel happier. If you’re not in a romantic relationship you will find that you aren’t as desperate to be in one as you once were because you know you don’t need them. When the right person shows up, you will be ready for that love.
What are some other benefits you’ve found with loving yourself?
Written by Cassandra Schmigotzki, original post here.
