‘Me Time’ Is Great But These Are 5 Things Self-Love Is NOT!
“Do you think this whole self-love thing is making people selfish?” a friend asked one evening over drinks, as we mused over love, life, and the universe. Apparently, someone she knew had thrown the self-love card at her as an explanation for their bad behaviour. “Hmm, maybe,” I responded to her. But, later, I got thinking about it, and realised that there are a lot of misconceptions we have about this thing called self-love. Here are 5 things (including being a douchebag) that self-love is not:
1. Self-love is not extended spa-days and exotic massages when you don’t give two hoots about your body the rest of the time.
2. Self-love is not going on the month-long detox diets and abstinence plans when you eat poorly and binge-drink every weekend the rest of the year!
3. It is also not about embracing excess weight and unhealthy diet in the name of body positivity, when you have health issues.
4. It certainly isn’t about stocking up on expensive grooming and beauty products when you don’t take care of the basics like washing your face twice a day, and eating healthy!
5. And lastly, self-love is not crushing other people’s feelings in the name of looking after your own!
Wait, so what IS self-love? Self-love is about looking after your body on a daily basis, making choices that are healthy for you everyday, and not only as a part of the latest Instagram challenge. It’s about doing what’s best for you – whether that means losing excess weight, or gaining some where you need to, because both can cause health problems. It’s about understanding that your body is unique, and has its own needs. Self-love is doing what you need to do to fulfil those needs, and not blindly following fads. Lastly, and most importantly, self-love is learning to build healthy boundaries with others, and learning to nurture your own needs, and trying not to hurt someone else in the process!
