Love thyself.

Day 30 of the Unknown.

Self-love. When I write it down, it immediately has a selfish ring to it. Egoistic. Almost a bit arrogant. "I love myself". What an odd thing to say. We use the term self-love a lot these days. As with anything related to love, we use it broadly and grasp it oh so narrowly.

I always considered myself someone who is fairly comfortable with herself. Having grown up as an only child, I was with alone a lot. Solitude has always felt like home. And even now, I still treasure evenings with a good book or a cup of tea in meditation. I know myself, my body and my emotions. I know my self-care routines and how to get myself back on track in times of difficulty.

And yet, can I say that I fully love myself? Unconditionally even? That I accept every aspect of myself - be it a strength, a weakness, a regret or a memory. If we truly look ourselves into the eye, we can rarely answer all of this with a 'yes'. Neither can I.

And yet, to me self-love has become the most important quest in the past months. For I know that I can only love others unconditionally when I start with myself. And I can only start with myself if I decide to truly encounter myself.

The last month I've mostly spent alone. Travelling. Reading. Mindfully. Consciously. I was not running away or disliking contact. Rather the opposite: I was excited to meet the person that I should know best in my whole life: myself. And every day I am grateful to learn something new - be it a skill that I did not know I had. Or a trait that I’d rather let go of.

I deeply believe that a solid sense of self is the basis to be of service to others.