A while back, I got asked: Do you love yourself?
I got a little confused to be asked such question out of the blue. My first thought was, of course, I do!

My second thought was, do I?
Do I know what it actually means?
I replied: “What do you mean by love yourself?”

I hear people say it a lot. It’s written everywhere but what does it actually mean to love yourself?

For a person who has been her own worse critic. Always have to strives for perfection, have very high expectations of herself. I don’t think I know how love myself.

Working on myself a lot

Read a lot, tapped with EFT, meditated. I feel like i’m at a place where I like myself or are even contempt.
Is that what’s it means to self-love?

Read more about appreciate people around you.

This person looked at me and smiled.
She said: “To love yourself, feels the same way you love your son.”

I was not expecting that! That is definitely not the way I feel about myself. I’m not even close. The way I feel for my son is all consuming and can not be compared.
And then it dawned on me that I still have a long way to go.

Think about it, would I ever be as harsh with my son, have such high expectation for him?
Expect perfection from him? Would I ever be my sons worse critic?

That will never happen because I know what my son need from me, he needs hugs, smiles, praises, support, and safety.
I want my son to do well, and discouraging and criticizing him is not the way.

The good things are:

1. That I know how I’m supposed to feel about myself, the all-consuming love that just grows.
2. I know in which direction I need to go and I will know it when I get there.
3. Next time I do something to put myself down, ask myself, would you do this to your children?

Why is it so important to love yourself unconditionally?
Because self-love is believing in yourself.

Dare things, go after opportunities, stop doubting your abilities, take more risks and chances, and know you deserve the best.
If not you then who?

Another important thing while raising my children. I can affirm them as much as I want and give them all the love and tell them the importance of self-loving.
If they doesn’t see self-love in their mother’s actions, chances are that they are going to see it in themselves.

“Your child will see
what you are all about
by what you live
rather than what you say.”

Wayne Dyer

How gratitude can help you love and appreciate yourself.

So start finding ways to appreciate yourself just the way you are, both the good and the bad.
When you start appreciate and slowly start doing more to feel good, you start freeing yourself from situations, people and things that aren’t good for you.
You start attracting better circumstances, people, and things into your life because you know you deserve it.

Here is a good article about importance of selflove.