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You have probably heard it before, “you cannot love anyone before you learn to love yourself.” While this might be a bitter pill to swallow, it is potentially true. Self-love plays a significant role in our health, especially with respect to how we relate with others, be it family relations, romantic relations, or workplace relations. Thus, it is important to recognise and understand how self-love affects the love you give and receive from others. Here is why you should take self-love seriously.

1. Greater satisfaction in love

People who practice self-love have higher self-esteem as well as greater life satisfaction. Appreciating yourself opens up a new appreciation for life. Love for yourself may open your eyes to see skills and abilities within you you never knew you had!So, when you feel your love, you lead from love, therefore setting you free to follow your own purpose. is key to appreciating your life.

2. Healthy habits that stick Motivation for healthy habits

Self-love motivates you to adopt healthy habits that focus on improving your physical and emotional health. When you appreciate yourself for everything you are, developing and maintaining healthy habits becomes easy as you know your value. Working out and eating well are not punishments, they are nourishment now! Now, everything you do is an expression of self-love.

3. Better mental health

When you learn how to love yourself, you also learn about yourself. You know what makes you happy, sad, and everything in between. Self-love also means you respect yourself enough to know what your boundaries are, and to express when they have been crossed. You know when to say no, and you know when to ask for help.

Because of this healthy relationship you have with yourself, you are able to sense when life feels a little negative, or overwhelming, and this love for yourself is able to urge you to seek help. Having this love for who you are means you are never alone- you always have you!
People who love, and are confident about themselves are more likely to resolve mental health issues quickly.

4. Reduce stress while increasing productivity

Self-love means knowing when to be forgiving towards yourself. Forgiving the fact that you are stressed, that you have a deadline, and that you may be procrastinating allows you to remove the biggest obstacle on your path to productivity- yourself.

Self-love also means having faith in yourself. Therefore, with a combination of forgiveness and faith, those little doubts and deadlines don’t seem quite so daunting anymore!

5. Better able to handle social pressures

A recent study conducted by the University of South Australia found a link between social networking and the erosion of women’s self-esteem. Truth is, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social networking sites do have an effect on users’ lives. While social media enables users to connect and make friends across the globe, it can put undue pressure on one’s self-image, and so impact their self-esteem. Self-love creates an alternate perspective, helping create healthy social media habits and use these platforms for personal growth and wellbeing.

Appreciating the value of self-love is the first step towards improving the quality of your life. Healthy Down Under empowers you with the tools and resources you need to learn how to love yourself and harness the opportunities, while managing challenges, that life throws your way by making a conscious effort to improve your relationship with yourself