Let’s unpack loving ourselves as we love others and what this can look like.
Hello, and welcome to the very first episode of 2023. How are you? I hope you’ve been keeping well. I had some time off, and it was so good; however, it also feels good to be back. The time off reinforced the need for rest and carving out the time to slow things down. While I didn’t travel far, I went on day trips and enjoyed time at home. The break taught me that rest is what you make it!
I am excited to share this episode with you, and since day one of this podcast, my mission has been to encourage, equip and empower you. So here we go.
In this episode, we will unpack loving ourselves as we love others and what this looks like; with Valentine’s Day coming up, why not talk about LOVE?
Love can take on all sorts of meanings, from strong affection, attraction, admiration, assurance, attachment and so on. While looking at the various definitions of love, I came across one from Webster that struck a chord. It read
“Unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another”
So, then I looked up benevolent and found which went on to explain “marked by or disposed to doing good”.
In a nutshell, a facet of love is unselfish, loyal, and concern for others marked by doing good.
Along the way, did you come to believe that taking care of and loving yourself is being selfish, disloyal to others, bad, and self-centred? Or that in order to love others well, we need to neglect ourselves to prove that love to others. How about by doing good to others, we need to treat ourselves poorly; otherwise, the good doesn’t count. In fact, could it be the very opposite?
Did you know that having a self-care routine has been clinically proven to reduce or eliminate anxiety and depression, reduce stress, improve concentration, minimise frustration and anger, increase happiness, improve energy, and more?
Is it fair to say that we turn up differently when we care for ourselves, and the benefits can overflow into our relationships?
Let’s look at four ways that we can show ourselves some tender, loving care.
1. Don’t give up on yourself
I am yet to meet a perfect person. How about you? Perfectionism is a thief and points out our shortcomings. What would it look like if we not only encouraged those in our world and ourselves also to keep going and having a go?
2. Love others and yourself
We don’t prove our love and loyalty to others by neglecting ourselves. By not running on empty, we keep energy in our reserves that is beneficial for all who are involved. As we unpacked a moment ago, there are benefits to taking good care of ourselves.
3. Look for the best in yourself
Have you ever stopped to appreciate who you are as a person? Can you list what you like in others and feel uncomfortable about doing the same when it comes to you? We can acknowledge the best in ourselves while looking for the best in others.
4. Carve out some time for yourself
Take care of all aspects of your well-being, including your physical, mental, social and spiritual wellness. Prioritise time for the things you enjoy that fill up your tank. To continue this conversation, I am offering the self-care workshop free as my gift to you. The next live workshop is on Monday 13th of February 7 pm AEDT.
As we wrap up this episode, thank you so much for joining me, and I wonder what is your takeaway from ‘loving ourselves as we love others’. Take a moment to think about what this means to you. Until next time, take good care of yourself.
