Self-love sounds simple, but in reality, it’s something many of us struggle with. The truth is, the difficulty often comes from our past. Somewhere along the way, someone may have said or done something that made you feel unworthy, not good enough, or unlovable. And now, those old beliefs have become stories you’ve been carrying with you, shaping the way you see yourself.
Here’s the tricky part: we live in the present, but our thoughts are often influenced by the past and our worries about the future. Maybe you’ve been attracted to someone in the past and throught, “He/She won’t like me” But where does that feeling come from? It might trace back to something hurtful someone said when you were younger—maybe a sibling or a classmate who made you feel small, and now that story has stuck. The story of who we think we are and what we deserve only exists in our head.
These past wounds are what make self-love challenging. We start to believe the false narrative that we aren’t enough, and those stories keep us from seeing our true worth in the present.
So how do we start shifting this? Awareness is key. Notice when these thoughts pop up and ask yourself, “Is this story true, or is it something from my past?” From there, you can begin to practice small, daily acts of love toward yourself.
I’ll talk more about this in next weeks blog but the key part of Self-Love is not running a bubble bath ( although that’s nice), it about going inwards the loving the younger part of you who heard this comment and believed it. It’s about letting that inner child know that they are enough.
Remember, learning to love yourself takes time, especially when the past is influencing your present. But with patience and intention, you can rewrite the narrative.
Keep going, beautiful—you are so worth it.
I Love You,
Em x
