Love, one of the most beautiful things in this world. We all one-day hope to find our true love or soulmate.  The laughs you share, the hugs you give, and the kisses you receive seem amazing, right? What if we told you that your first and most important true love is yourself? Now we are young, and we have a lot of life to live before we start searching for “the one”, so why rush?. Now some people are lucky and have found love at this age but if you have not, do not feel left out because right now the greatest love will always be yourself. Taking care of yourself and doing what you love will help you grow, so if and when that person comes, you will be prepared for a healthy relationship.

There are many ways to gain and practice self-love. The evil queen talks to her mirror on the wall, but what tactic will you use? To get insight, step inside the magic mirror with us as we ask one of our school counselors about their self-love tricks. When asked what self-love is, Mrs. Hooper, School Wellness Coordinator, stressed that it is mostly about giving respect and admiration to yourself. To her, self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-respect resemble how you value yourself.  Mrs. Hooper feels that self-love is important because it shows how to view yourself, and how others are allowed to treat you. You set an expectation for yourself, and others will respond to that. Once you have self-love you have boundaries.

Lastly, to practice and gain self-love, Hooper says to accept yourself for who you are. Stop comparing yourself to others and get rid of the need and desire to be perfect. Instead, she advises you to do things that make you feel joyful. Trusting your instincts, practicing gratitude and positive talk all lead to the final goal: to love you.

As you have read, loving yourself constantly is especially important and essential for your mental health. You must love yourself before developing any type of love for a partner or even a friend. You must put YOU first. That goes beyond making sure you are good physically but also mentally. We are all worried about looks, hair, clothes, but what about how feel underneath the surface? What’s underneath is just as important and has a crucial role in self-love. An easy way to start practicing self-love could be to say daily affirmations. When you wake up, wherever you have a mirror just talk to yourself, you are your best friend. Online there are plenty of affirmations you can find to fit your liking.

How will you practice self-love?