By: Rachel Harding

What is self-love? Self-love gives you the strength to love yourself even when you are having a bad day. When you are down on yourself, it is still important to be kind to oneself. The most important part of self-love is to be patient. Everyone has their own journey through self-love. Self-love also affects how you treat others. Moreover, if you do not have self-compassion for yourself then how can you be expected to have compassion for other people in your life? It all starts with you.

Through the years, I have gone through my own self-love journey. As a young teenager, I did not have self-confidence and I thought that self-love was only for the weak. As I matured, I found that self-love was greater than just the daydreamy-typical kind of love. I found that limiting my social media use, setting goals, and standing up for yourself is also an important type of love. Through the years, I have perfected the steps to love yourself. Here are the ways to practice self-love:

1. Make peace with your insecurities- Everyone has their insecurities, but what nobody realizes is that no one is judging them. Only you know what your insecurities are, no one else knows. Make your insecurities your superpower, it is what makes you unique.

2. Treat yourself like someone you love- Think of a person in your life that is close to your heart. Would you treat them like you treat yourself mentally? Self-hatred only can hurt. Please treat yourself with kindness, it is what your loved ones would want as well.

3. Stop comparing yourself- Scrolling through Instagram, one is greeted by picture-perfect models and lifestyles. However, these pictures and “perfect” lives are more than what meets the eye. These influencers choose what they post on Instagram such as the best moments in their lives. Stop comparing the worst moments in your life to other’s picture-perfect highlights.

4. Your worth is not determined by your looks- What you look like is the least interesting thing about you. When describing someone, nobody talks about what their body looks like. Normally, they talk about their kindness, compassion, or drive. It is important to give compliments on things other than appearance.

5. Practice gratitude- To be grateful for what you have, it is important to practice gratitude. This can be done in many ways such as journaling what you are thankful for and giving thanks to those you love. See the good, be the good.

These self-love tips turned me into the self-loving person that I am today. Through these practices, I gained a greater appreciation for myself and others. Follow these tips if you struggle to find self-love and it will help you to love yourself a little more. □

About the Writer

Rachel Harding is a senior at the University of Kentucky studying communications. She has been interning with H3R for nearly 2 months. Rachel loves all things fashion! When she is not interning for H3R, she is probably on the runway working on her modeling career. Also, she has her own small business called You’re A Gem in which she makes custom, crystal rings.

Article Credits

Rachel’s Instagram: @rachel.s.harding

Rachel’s Small Business: @shop.youre.a.gem