Well, hello to you, my reader chums! Self-love is a term I used to chat about when I was in my 'healing' era a couple of years back, and it is still a topic I adore talking about today. Everyone has a different definition of what self-love means, how they practice it and what the effects look like.

We're all evolving, and for me, self-love has been a journey like no other.

If you're on your self-love journey and keen to hear my thoughts, here's what self-love means to me now.

Self-love is a term used widely, with the idea of falling in love with ourselves and loving every piece, including how we look, our personality and the life we lead. Self-love can mean whatever you want, and as I've grown, my definition has also changed.

What does self-love mean to me?

Self-love means showing up for yourself consistently and loving and appreciating that version of yourself. We don't wake up every day feeling like a 10/10. Some days, I'm bloated, some days, I'm in a low mood, and some days, I get frustrated at myself, and that's okay. Self-love on those days is being respectful and appreciative that you're not feeling 100% at that time, but you will again. It's accepting it's okay to feel rubbish about myself and I won't always feel a 10/10.

Self-love isn't only loving what you look like, it's loving your personality, the good and bad of that, the quirks and unique ways that make me who I am. I think a lot of self-love is down to liking what you look like, but your personality is worth more than that as looks do change, but your personality is everything, showcasing your soul. It's helped me appreciate my humour, my kindness, my giving nature and my adventurous spirit.

Self-love is about setting boundaries, stepping away from people in my life who don't make me feel my best and investing time in others who lift me up and allow me to be myself. It's about having respect for myself enough to wave goodbye to certain friendships and now allow myself to remain in spaces where I feel seen.

Self-love is being grateful for my life and working on a positive mindset to help me stay hopeful about my everyday life and what's to come. It's about preventing that negative and mean voice in my mind, always trying to look on the brighter side of life rather than what's gone wrong.

Self-love is believing in myself, knowing I have what it takes to achieve my dreams, but also being able to try new things and push myself out of my comfort zone. It's my biggest supporter and the thing that keeps me going in the hard moments. 

Ultimately, self-love is learning to put my needs first. I spent years people-pleasing and thinking about everyone else, but now, I'm focusing more on what feels right for me, prioritising my mental health and wellbeing and creating a life that serves that.

I hope you enjoyed this post. What does self-love mean to you? 

Thank you for reading <3