Let's talk about self-love

In the week that The Body Shop? has launched its self-love campaign, let’s take a few moments to think about self-love and what it means to us personally.

And let’s not confuse self-love with self-care.

Over the past 12 months, during the pandemic, I truly believe that we’ve become a lot more focussed on our self-care - a fact that is very much reflected in soaring sales of face masks and skincare. Taking time out for ourselves, time to recharge, exercise, just be at one with ourselves…. Whatever that might look like, I hear from so many people who have started to dedicate more time to recharging their batteries, realising that, in actual fact, they are equally as important as those they care for, if not more so. As the saying goes – “you can’t pour from an empty cup.”

But what about self-love? Have we really conquered this? Or do we shy away from thinking positively about ourselves? And do we really understand what it is, or are we of the mindset that it relates to, as defined in the first 3 words that come up on thesaurus on this very programme I’m typing on ‘egotism, selfishness and egocentricity’? Ouch! I’d like to reframe that as self-respect, pride and being at ease with oneself.

Based on memes showing bowls of ice cubes, declaring that this will, and I quote: “Be my diet until we come out of lockdown”, or posts declaring intentions to do a HIIT workout every day, I would say that we really haven’t conquered loving the visual versions of ourselves at all. And, even worse, perhaps it’s actually being put out there that we should be suddenly dieting and exercising to become ‘different’ versions of ourselves than we are now, to be seen as ‘acceptable’ as we emerge from lockdown. Double ouch!

So what if we’ve gained a few ‘lockdown pounds’, or even stone. It should be how we feel that matters. We should be able to look ourselves in the eye in the mirror and accept that we are who we are and crack on. Heck, we’ve come through a pandemic, with all the challenges that has thrown our way! Be proud! A recent post on social media, asking group members to comment on aspects of their bodies that they love about themselves drove home to me just how difficult it is to do this. We’re quick to criticise ourselves, but not quick to publicly offer praise about ourselves.

Allow me to introduce you to Ruby. Ruby doll was launched by The Body Shop? way back in 1998 to challenge stereotypes about the shape of female bodies. At size 16, the posters featuring Ruby carried the slogan: “There are 3 billion women in the world who don’t look like supermodels, and only 8 who do.” What a hard-hitting fact, that is as true today as it was back then and, possibly, with the extensive use of social media, even more pertinent now than 20 years ago.

Having met Ruby, how do you feel when you look in the mirror now?

And let’s not forget that self-love isn’t just about how we look, but also about our internal qualities. Take a moment to think about these qualities, how you behave, speak, your intelligence and achievements, and how you care for, encourage and support those around you. There’s a lot to love!

Can we make today the day that, as well as being grateful for general things in life, we start to shout about our love for ourselves, exactly as we are?

Self-love: A superpower that lifts us up and makes us stronger.