What is Self Love Therapy

Trying to please others and meet their expectations, we often forget about what we want, who we are, and our needs and desires. Truly, we need to understand the importance of self-love and what self-love is. Read on to know more.

Self-love is essential and often an untaught concept. Knowing your self-worth and promoting emotional wellbeing are necessary to live a healthy life in today’s world; it protects us from negativity. Self-love refers to the compassion and feeling of value that we feel for ourselves, just by being. We need to support our emotional selves more at this present time, and that is where self-love comes in. Some features that self-love therapy endorses are as follows:

• Being aware of your challenges and understand them

• Accept your shortcomings and love yourself unconditionally

• Know what you feel and why you may feel that way

• Say no confidently, without guilt if you can

• Mental health comes first. Value your health, feelings, emotions, and relationships

• Have a self-care routine and follow it for a wellbeing

Sometimes you will find that Self-love and Self-esteem are used synonymously. They are inter-connected terms. However, the exact meanings of self-love and self-esteem are different.

While self-love refers to self-acceptance, understanding, and knowing oneself, being comfortable in one’s skin, etc., self-esteem refers to how a person perceives themselves. Self-esteem considers is one confident, happy with a stable emotional self? If one has low self-esteem, it is difficult for one to perceive self-love to the core.

Research has shown that young women who have low self-esteem may abuse drugs, whereas young men with low self-esteem are more likely to use alcohol. Most of these young men and women feel that they are not being appreciated or are not good enough and show high traits of inferiority complex. There is often an etiology of traumatic experiences that leads to drug and substance abuse. Studies have also shown that the lack of self-love often leads to phobias and anxiety disorders if they are not treated immediately. Self-love therapy is something that works well in the case of drug abuse. Untreated low self-esteem can lead to poor self-image, poor decision-making capabilities, and confusion.

Self-love is not a very difficult thing to practice, but it takes some time to nurture it in you. You can practice self-love with the help of several behavioral and psychological exercises and practices. It would help if you accepted yourself, your shortcoming, strengths, weaknesses. How you perceive yourself is essential in determining how much effort you need to put into self-love therapy. It would help if you dwelled in self-honesty, forgiveness, compassion. Build on setbacks and disappointments and indulge in self-awareness. Trying to achieve perfection beyond possibility reduces self-love. Try and accept what you have and what you are while making efforts to be better in them.

Substance abuse might seem a viable option to many young and old crowd as it promotes temporary positive feelings and emotions in them. However, it is not permanent. Substance abuse is challenging to come out of, but it is possible. If someone is into substance abuse, the below-mentioned disorders will follow, and if not taken care of at the right moment, they might destroy themselves.

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Obsessing over past mistakes and self-loathing

• Indecisive nature

• Confusion

• Low self-worth

• Low self-esteem

• Inability to trust

• Negative thoughts

One must get rid of substance abuse practices and treat addiction early; the sooner, the better. If the person realizes what they have gone into, the chances of getting the best benefits out of the therapy are more. If someone is suffering from depression, guilt, self-harm, and self-loathing, they might need professional help. Researches have shown that self-love therapies can treat substance abuse patients from within.

If someone is in a better situation, they can talk to a therapist and get their inner feeling. For treating mental and emotional disorders, you can resort to the following therapies:

• Art Therapy

• Music Therapy

• Journaling or Reflective writing

• Meditation

• Self-acceptance training

• Trust-building exercise

• Boundary setting exercise

• Growing passion

• Finding the purpose of life

• Setting of goals

Love, peace, and acceptance can help essential for the healthy living of every person. If you know someone who has a substance or drug abuse problem and you are close to them, do not abandon them; help them by referring them to a professional. Individuals struggling with drug abuse need love, acceptance, and appreciation. You can make a difference in their lives and show them the light in the darkness. Help them in their journey to light and freedom from substance abuse. Start making a difference in society by making a difference in the life of one suffering individual.