Photo by Jackson David at Unsplash
Throughout history, many people have emphasized loving and knowing yourself before falling in love with someone else. Being secure with yourself has a lot of benefits. When you love yourself, you are likely to have an easier time loving someone else. You’re not so consumed in trying to get someone else’s approval of you—and you have more confidence in yourself and your abilities. Before you consider entering into a long-term relationship, learning how to practice self-love is essential.
Self-Love Means Self-Respect
When you love yourself, you start to develop a sense of self-respect and start to believe in your worth. You can’t love and respect someone if you don’t show the same to yourself. If you’re not doing anything to take care of yourself first, you have to do something about that. For example: Go and join a fitness club. Or take a few art classes. Whatever it is that brings you joy, go out there and find it.
Remember to Be Kind to Yourself
Another way to practice self-love is being kind to yourself. Try giving yourself some positive affirmations that you need the most. If you continue to start your sentences with “I know I can” or “I believe I can,” you will be building up your self-esteem. It’s okay to sometimes acknowledge your flaws or mistakes. But when you are overly critical of yourself, you will probably find it difficult to believe that someone could love or accept you. If you have this problem, you may want to try working on it before investing your whole life in someone else.
Decide If You’re Ready for a Relationship
While having a measure of respect for yourself is vital, you must also decide if you’re even ready for marriage or a long-term commitment. Before you enter into something this sacred, you must take some time to examine yourself. Try asking yourself these questions first:
- Am I ready to fulfill my role in sharing responsibilities for our household?
- Am I ready to provide for my household financially, physically and spiritually?
- Would you describe yourself as being mild-tempered and able to handle conflict?
- If you have any short and long-term goals, how will these be affected by my relationship?
By answering these questions, you are giving yourself a self-examination that is needed before you enter a long-term relationship.
Loving Yourself Should Be Kept in Its Place
While having love and respect for oneself is important, it’s also important to not go overboard with it. We should be balanced in having love for ourselves. If we love ourselves too much, we would act selfishly. We would be considered vain or self-centered. It would be tough to find someone having these characteristics. So be sure you’re not too into yourself by maintaining a sense of balance.
Practice Self-Love and Accept Yourself
When you love yourself, you come to accept yourself for who you are. You don’t feel you need to be somebody else to be with someone. Your confidence and self-esteem will instantly shine right through. While it’s not necessary to love everything about yourself before getting married, it is important to be secure with yourself. If you feel you have problems with self-esteem, talk to someone you know and care about. They will be able to offer a listening ear and help you get on the road to self-acceptance.
