What is ‘To Love’ if not ‘Yourself’

One of the most difficult acts, I have come to realise, is the act of self-appreciation.

It’s funny, right?

The thought that we can be so dismissive of ourselves might seem farfetched, but I assure you that it really isn’t and weirdly enough, I feel the reason behind this more so lies in what we try to find in others before looking to find it in ourselves.

If I were to give you an example in this case, then I would pick from my own personal experiences and speak to you through them. I have always been open about my own mental health and how I have worked on myself a lot, and for those who might not know, I’ll briefly put it as a journey that took me years to even start. The idea of being happy with myself was foreign in my teen years and that was because my perception of what other’s thought of me was warped, even if I had people who always supported me around me, I felt like I was constantly judged and that all came from my own mind.

The fact of the matter was, more than getting that approval from others, I didn’t realise that I never even approved of myself, hence being a recluse in a way when I was younger.

It was when I started growing up from that mindset when I realised that appreciating who I am as a person was so important, not only for my own confidence but also for me to be able to be who I really am and not just some perception of me. That is what allowed me to even start working on this project, to be able to put myself out there.

The freedom that comes with self-love is like no other, and this story of mine, I am sure is the story of many others out there, trying to find that approval from outside sources, whether it’s at work or in a team or on social media.

Learning to appreciate ourselves, and also being a little less harsh on ourselves is one that definitely takes time and will not come easily, but all I ask is to give yourself that push, allow yourself the idea of having that freedom and see where you go from there!

I know I still have a long way to go, but having you all with me on this journey, I think would be amazing.

This is Ayushman Jain (aka 1000Minus7) singing out!

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