The Art Of Self-Love

Summary

The article "The Art Of Self-Love" emphasizes the importance of self-acceptance, inner peace, and the practice of positive affirmations to combat external negativity and self-doubt, particularly for individuals with mental health challenges like bipolar disorder.

Abstract

"The Art Of Self-Love" is a profound exploration into the significance of self-compassion and self-worth. The author, who openly shares their experience with bipolar disorder, advocates for self-love as a fundamental principle for mental well-being. They encourage readers to embrace their uniqueness, reject societal stigmas associated with mental illness, and prioritize their self-perception over the opinions of others. The article suggests that self-love is not a selfish act but a necessary foundation for a fulfilling life. It highlights the importance of not allowing others to diminish one's self-worth and the need to evict negative thoughts that can occupy one's mind like unwelcome tenants. The author recommends practices such as grounding, staying present, and using positive affirmations to maintain inner peace and counteract the impact of past hurts and negative experiences.

Opinions

Self-love is essential and not synonymous with being self-centered; it's about recognizing one's unique value.
Society should change its perspective on mental illness to remove the stigma, and individuals should not feel ashamed of their mental health conditions.
Allowing others to influence one's self-worth gives them undue power and is detrimental to personal growth.
Negative thoughts and memories should not be given space in one's mind, similar to not allowing a hostile person to rent a room in one's home.
Practicing grounding and staying present are effective strategies for managing negative thoughts and flashbacks.
Positive affirmations, especially when listened to regularly, can help overcome built-up negativity and improve self-image.
The author believes in the transformative power of positive affirmations and suggests using YouTube recordings as a resource for personal development.

Stop allowing Others To Steal Your Peace

I love you. You are perfectly fine, just as you are. You are enough all by yourself. You don’t need anyone else to give you value or complete you.

These are things you should say to yourself every day. Self-love is not selfish. You should be the most significant person in the world to you. Why? Because there is no one else in the world exactly like you, and that is important.

Stop before you say to yourself, “That is probably a good thing”. Are you saying that positively or negatively?

Negatively = That’s good. Who would want more of me?

Positively = That’s terrific because it makes me unique.

I’m not a doctor or psychiatrist, so why should you listen to me? I have personal experience. I have bipolar disorder. Many people would not admit this. They are ashamed to admit they have a mental illness. Because the words “mental illness” have such a stigma. But that is something that society should change. I should not feel ashamed about having an illness. I didn’t do this to myself. I was born this way. And I refuse to allow others to make me feel ashamed about something I was born with.

If I allow someone else to make me think poorly about myself, I give that person power over me. I am letting them tell me what to believe about myself. Why would I do that? Why would I care so much about what someone else thinks make me feel poorly of myself?

I’m not saying you should be self-centered. But you should value yourself. What someone else thinks about you is neither your business nor your problem. Why would you care? How do their thoughts affect your life? They don’t, they can’t, and you shouldn’t let them. What people say or believe about you shouldn’t matter to you. Hold your head high and believe in yourself.

When you allow yourself to give value to negative things people do or say to you or about you, it’s like renting a room in your home to someone who hates you and says hateful things about you to your face all the time. You would never rent a room in your home to someone like that. Don’t rent a room in your head to negative thoughts or memories.

To love yourself, you need inner peace. Don’t dwell on past hurts or unpleasant situations. Let the past be where it is in the past. One should live moment to moment. Staying in the present moment at all times. When a memory or thought of something negative comes into your mind, ground yourself by thinking about what you are doing right now. Feel the ground/floor under your feet or the seat beneath your body. Look around in the room and notice the things that are there. Grounding is especially important for anyone who suffers flashbacks of bad memories and has trouble pulling themselves out of them.

Any time a negative thought or memory comes into your mind, stop and start speaking positive things to yourself instead. It works honestly.

One thing I have been doing is listening to recordings of positive affirmations from YouTube. You can either listen to them at night while you go to sleep or in the morning as you are getting ready for your day. Repeat them out loud or in your mind as you listen. And do it every day to erase all the negativity that has built up in your life.

Here is a link to help you get started:

You don’t have to watch it unless you want to. You can simply listen to it as you go about whatever you are doing as you would your favorite music.

I sincerely hope this helps someone who reads what I had to say.

If you like my article, you can treat me to a cup of coffee. It will go a long way in supporting me as a writer.