“Love yourself first and everything else falls into place.” A friend of mine swears by this quote, and I think it rings so true for many of us struggling to get through something personal. Sometimes, it seems like no one will ever be there for us besides ourselves. But I’m here to tell you that this is perfectly okay. Because if you can’t love yourself, how can you expect anyone else to?
There have been so many times that I have questioned my worth because of bad circumstances I found myself in (or inadvertently put myself in). And I have racked my brain trying to determine what I did wrong, wondering what’s wrong with me that I found myself in this situation, yet again. It’s mentally exhausting, I know. And the minute you start to doubt yourself is the minute that you have made things ten times worse for yourself. The most important thing in your life is YOU.
You may think that this sounds selfish, but it’s necessary that we be a little selfish sometimes. It’s good to think of others, but you should never feel bad for thinking of yourself. It is your responsibility, and your responsibility alone, to take care of you. And what’s wrong with patting yourself on the back every once in a while? You deserve it.
Sometimes we just need to take some time and appreciate ourselves and all the wonderful things that make us, well, us. Crack open that bottle of wine, turn on your favorite Spotify playlist, and take some time for yourself. Too often we feel as though we have to be doing something, just to prove that we are busy or keeping up with everyone else on social media—because that is what we have come to expect from society. But some of my best times have involved just sitting back and enjoying my own company.
Don’t get me wrong—I love being with my friends, being social, and putting myself out there. But I love being my own friend and appreciating my alone time just as much. I won’t apologize for that, and neither should you.
No matter what struggles you are dealing with right now, I want to make sure that you know you are appreciated and loved. Make sure that you know the most important person to appreciate and love, should be you. Love yourself, and everything else really will fall into place.
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