one of the most beautiful experiences one can discover, is self love.

the freedom and respect you earn is unmatched.

knowing what truly makes you happy and doing what you love. 

being able to care for yourself more than anyone else can.

i used to think self-love were all these big things you had to do.

take yourself on three holidays a year,

wake up every morning and love the person you see in the mirror,

always being happy and well looked after.

but then, i realised self-love is small,

consistent forms of self-care,

becoming habits, that form a routine, creating your lifestyle.

and that’s when i fell inlove with it.

brush my teeth? yep

write in my journal? ah no i forgot, but i did yesterday

went for a walk? uh huh

read a few pages of my book? sure did

smiled at my reflection? yep easy

had my breakfast? i did

talk positively to myself and project my thanks to the universe? duh of course.

these daily tasks we complete that are just our “routine” or “normal” for us, are self-care.

we are doing it for our body, mind and soul.

we believe, or grow up to think, they’re a necessity in life so we must complete them.

but if you think about it,

everyday you have a choice whether to do those things, and you still choose to.

yes you may not journal daily or go for a walk, but during your week you did all those other little things and it really does add up.

with this change of mind you realise the way you care for yourself, the way it makes you feel – stopping to get a coffee so you feel more awake.

making your dinner the day before so you know you have a yummy nutritious dinner to eat.

i didn’t know i had as much self-love as i did because i didn’t love the way i looked every morning, or feel 100% everyday.

our understanding, or at least my understanding of self-love was incorrect.

now i am happier, more energetic, motivated and genuinely content within myself.

knowing these small everyday acts are proof i care and nourish myself.

i am grateful for life itself, not just for “my” life.

gratefulness seeps out of me in ways i sometimes can’t contain.

self-love is easy some days, and harder on others.

just like any form of love. 

but you don’t give up after one argument or after one harder day.

wake up and restart.

this forms resilience and self compassion.

your only competition is who you were yesterday.

become the person you want to be.

change your mentality and create habits that align with the dream you,

and soon you’ll be living in the day that you had once dreamed of.

love yourself harder than you love another being

and you’ll thank yourself in the years to come.

27/10/2023

-MAO

don’t give trauma the power to control you, you deserve to live how you want. take control of your trauma.

-life advice from one survivor to another