Merenmongla Aier
Kohima
How are you? How are you feeling? I hope you are taking care of yourself and enjoying the petty pleasures of life. Have you ever ask these questions to yourself and wondered about it. Maybe most of us have not. Muniba Mazari once said ‘Love yourself and learn to enjoy your own company because if you don’t love your company, nobody else will’. Loving yourself or Self-love is an easy word to define, but we often neglect its importance. It is an important part of your mental — health and well-being. Self-love may mean different to different people. So, what is Self-love? Self-love is not only about making yourself feel good, but it can have a much broader meaning.
It’s hard to believe that only half of 2021 is left. Though the world is slowly coming back to normal, India is having a second wave of the global pandemic, and it’s been really tough for every one of us. During this pandemic each of us are isolated at home, students with their daily online classes, parents busy homeschooling their children, rooms becoming a workplace and many more. It has somehow become difficult or rather uncomfortable for us to adapt to this new normal. Sometimes it becomes stressful of how things are going. Likewise, I feel that every single person is having a hard time at this moment. And so at this tough time are you giving time for yourself and allowing yourself to grow mentally and emotionally? The sudden change in our living and work has constantly made us occupied or engaged in something.
However, we should give time to ourselves to relax and rest. Sometimes it’s good to take a break. So take deep breath, relax and try to learn to love yourself more.
For me, Self-love is about allowing yourself to grow slowly and accepting yourself for who you are in whatever situations you are in. It is about embracing your flaws, your weaknesses, loving all aspects of yourself and most importantly having a high standard for your own well — being and happiness.
As a student, I feel that in this modern society we are so much influence by social media and quick changes in our surroundings that it often made us to compare ourselves with someone who has much better capabilities than us. And so, it makes us feel insecure and self- conscious. Like Joe Duncan has quoted, ‘ The first step to accepting yourself is to STOP comparing yourself to others’, and I feel it is true. Not everyone is walking the same path of life as you are. Everyone has their own worries, problems and difficulties. Not everyone is born the same. It is just a waste of time to feel unsure and think about it. When you stop comparing yourself with someone, you start to feel more confident, secure, and most importantly, you start loving yourself.
The next step, I would say, to Self-love is to let go of the past and to move on and learn from your mistakes. It is difficult to bury the hardest time that you have faced. Nor will it be easy to forget that it happened. But remember that nothing can be done to undo it. Just remind yourself that you were strong enough to endure it and that it happens for a reason to either teach you a lesson or strengthen you. Making mistake is something that most of us are afraid of. No one is born perfect in this world, and so we should stop striving to do everything perfectly. It is okay to make mistakes. Mistakes are meant to remind you that you are trying and still learning. It is going to teach you the greatest lessons in life. So, try something new, make mistakes on the way and learn from it. But at the same time never forget to care for yourself.
Change yourself for yourself and not for others. Stop caring about what others think of you. You are not born to please them. Start focusing on yourself, change for yourself and try to find joy in the little things that you do. Start treasuring the people around you who appreciates you for who you are. Be always grateful for the things that God has given you and never complaint about the things that you don’t have.
Finally yet importantly, you have to respect yourself, care for your physical and mental health and always stay positive. During this lockdown, discover some new skills that you think you will enjoy. Eat healthy food, get enough sleep and exercise to stay fit or even meditate to find peace in yourself. Thus, try to learn self-love during this lockdown and thrive to encourage yourself everyday with a positive mind, body and soul.
The writer is a student in Class 12 (Science), Modern College Kohima
