When love is mentioned, the first thing that probably reaches our mind is loving someone or someone loving us, there is little emphasis on loving ourselves and that is really important because without truly loving and accepting ourselves, we can’t truly love and accept others. A quote by Steve Maraboli —”Love yourself. Forgive yourself. Be true to yourself. How you treat yourself sets the standard for how others will treat you.”
Various researches have shown that it’s important to love and accept yourself, it’s very important in more ways than one.
1. IT WOULD HELP YOU SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF PROCRASTINATION
Procrastination is a huge problem which can lead one to performing below par in life’s activities. However, a research by Fuschia M. Sirois of Bishop’s University in Canada examined whether self-compassion—kindness and understanding toward one’s self in response to pain or failure—could be related to procrastination; the research found that people prone to procrastination had lower levels of self-compassion and higher levels of stress. Further analysis revealed that procrastination might increase levels of stress—particularly among people low in self-compassion. So if you love yourself, you can overcome procrastination and I think this makes sense.
2. WOULD HELP YOU OVERCOME LIFE CHALLENGES
Challenges are a normal and even regular occurrence in life and people who are self-compassionate see their troubles as part of the human condition. In a study in press at Psychological Science, scientists found that newly divorced people who spoke compassionately toward themselves adjusted significantly better in the following 10 months than those who spoke more harshly. According to Kristin Neff, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas, treating yourself kindly is also good for achieving your goals.
3. LOVING YOURSELF WOULD HELP YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
Research suggests that loving yourself and accepting your imperfections could be the first step to a better health. According to a research by Jennifer Crocker, PhD, a psychologist at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, people who base their own self-worth on what others think and not on their value as human beings might pay a mental and physical price.
4. IT CAN HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS
According to a study published in the journal Health Psychology, accepting yourself without judgment when times get tough is linked to better health behaviours. A research published in Time discovered a link between self-compassion and four key health-promoting behaviours: eating better, exercising more, getting more restful sleep, and lesser stress. People who were more self-compassionate practiced these health habits more often.
5. IF YOU LOVE YOURSELF, YOU WOULD BE HAPPIER
This really makes sense, loving yourself would definitely make you a happier person. According to the summary of a research by researchers in University Hertfordshire, self-acceptance is the key to a happier life but ironically their research revealed that people tend to practice happier habits less often. “Happiness is more than just a feeling; it is something we can all practice on a daily basis. But people are better at some ‘happy habits’ than others. In fact, the one habit that corresponds most closely with us being satisfied with our lives overall—self-acceptance—is often the one we practice least.”
Do not get confused with self-pity or self-indulgence. “Self-compassion is treating yourself with the same kindness and care you’d treat a friend,” says Kristin Neff, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.
Do you need any more reason to love yourself?
S.O.Z