 Hey Psych2Goers, welcome back to our channel. Thank you all so very much for all of your support. Now, let's continue. When you think of the people you love, who comes to mind first? Is it your family members, your best friend, or a significant other? What about you? Self-love is important. It's important for leading a happy, healthy life. Unfortunately, the concept of self-love is often overlooked and misunderstood. In a world that grows more demanding, stressful, and complex, day by day, self-love might be something you're struggling with. So let's talk about eight things you need to know about self-love. Number one, self-love is not a linear process. The process of loving yourself will have ups and downs. On this journey, you will probably have days where you feel great, energized, and positive, but also know that there will be days where you don't. And that's more than okay. Even when you consciously practice self-love, you may sometimes feel grumpy, tired, anxious, sad, lonely, or defeated. On those days, remember that you're human in the process of growing and allowed to feel the full range of emotions on any given day. Life is hard, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking the bat with the good. Part of loving yourself is feeling and expressing these emotions without criticizing yourself. Self-love is a complex process, full of leaps forward and steps back. Each day that you choose to keep going and choose to love yourself, you're making amazing progress, even if you don't feel like it. Number two, we are conditioned by society to believe that self-love is selfish. How many times have you stepped back from a commitment and instantly felt guilty? How often do you say no to someone and feel self-absorbed? Feeling this way is normal and totally understandable because society has led us to believe that prioritizing our own needs is selfish, but this is not true. Despite everything that society has told you, taking care of your own needs is one of the most important things you can do. Your health and happiness are yours to protect and maintain. Taking the steps to do so is never selfish. Number three, self-love is not a rapid process. Think of the people you love most. Did it take some time to love them firmly and completely? When you begin to learn how to love yourself, it may take some time for you to feel it. Understand though that similar to loving other people, loving yourself is a process and a journey. It may not and probably won't happen overnight and that's okay. Do you tend to dwell on your flaws? We wanna remind you that your flaws are what make you unique. They're part of what makes you the wonderful human that you are. Number four, self-love is important because it opens even more doors for you to give and receive love. Have you ever heard the phrase or versions of it where they say, love yourself first? It's true. The way you love yourself shows others how to love you. According to licensed marriage and family therapist John Kim from Psychology Today, forming a healthy relationship with yourself that is full of care, understanding, compassion and healthy boundaries will help you achieve that kind of relationship with yourself and others. Number five, uncovering the sources of healing can be difficult. Are you in the process of emotionally healing? If so, you should be proud that you're taking the steps to heal for it isn't easy. Like self-love, healing not only takes time but is also very complex. Unravelling possible years of very trauma is daunting. If you become overwhelmed during this process, know that you aren't alone. Digging deep and healing from past wounds or reoccurring ones can be an overwhelming process. Part of self-love and practicing self-care is knowing when to step back in the healing process. Though it may be very tempting to keep pushing. Remember that part of loving yourself is acknowledging your own boundaries. And this is especially important in healing. In order to avoid uncovering memories and moments in ways that may wound you further. Number six, self-love means giving permission to accept your own compassion. Have you ever noticed the negative connotation that surrounds self-compassion? Perhaps disguised as making excuses or feeling sorry for yourself. The truth is that one of the greatest sources of strength is being able to have kindness and compassion for your own experiences in life. We have this unfortunate quality to automatically blame ourselves when things go wrong. If you didn't get a job or get into your college pick, you tend to believe that you aren't qualified enough. If a friend is mad at you, you tend to blame yourself first rather than objectively examining the situation. This could lead to lower self-esteem, more negative self-talk, and even self-loathing if it goes unchecked. Self-compassion is something that lives inside of you. Rather than suppressing it for the sake of others, the more you consciously accept the understanding and kindness you want to offer yourself, the more your self-esteem and confidence will grow. Number seven, self-love means following the yearnings of your own heart, even if that's not what others want. Have you ever felt obligated to do something because you were being pressured by others? To take up a certain hobby or go down a certain career path that you didn't want. While this complacency might seem to resolve differences and issues in the short term, it can leave you unfulfilled later on. Part of loving yourself is giving yourself the right to follow your own dreams and your own heart, no matter what others have to say. Those who judge you or impose their dreams on you also have their own chances to take. Your personal passions are strong and beautiful. They're unique to you. That which makes your heart sing is yours to cling to. You deserve to feel happy and fulfilled no matter what others have to say. Number eight, self-love isn't always fun. Sometimes self-love is hard. It's doing what's best for you, even if it doesn't necessarily excite you at the moment. Self-love can be going to bed early when you know tomorrow is an important day, choosing to stay in so you can finish an assignment or saying no to a loved one so you can have time for rest. You have set down and are respecting your own boundaries and that is a great thing. Sometimes in order to love yourself you have to prioritize what is best for you and make sacrifices. The sheer ability to do this confirms just how much you have your best interest at heart. What are your thoughts on self-love and how do you practice it? Let us know in the comments below. Please like and share this video if it helped you and you think it could help someone else too. The studies and references used are listed in the description below. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button and notification bell icon for more Psych2Go videos. Thank you for watching and we'll see you soon.