6 Reasons Why Loving Yourself First Is Essential to Radiant Health

What motivates you to live your healthiest and most joyful life?

Many women start their healing journey with negative feelings, they don’t like the way the look, they are frustrated with the way they feel, they are tired of being tired, they feel out of control of their food choices and they may experience many forms of ill health. Those feelings have a wide range, from intense self-hatred to mild dissatisfaction, but they are all different forms of the same thing: lack of self-love.

Being motivated by what you don’t like and what you don’t want will only take you a short distance. If you want deep and lasting change, if you want your health to improve, if you want to shine and radiate health and vitality, self-love is the only thing that will take you there.

“Negative motivation is incompatible with positive results.” ~ Deepak Chopra

Here’s why:

1. When you love yourself you will make choices that make you feel good, inside and out, long term and short term. Self-love will lead you away from unhealthy behavior that gives you a fleeting pleasure and eventually turns into ill-health, like eating too much sugar. Radiant health feels really good and any behavior that gives you just a moment of comfort pales in comparison.

2. Any changes, even longed for positive changes, are accompanied by feelings of discomfort and resistance. That is because you are moving into new realms, creating new experiences and part of you will feel threatened and fearful. This is when a lot of women give up and go back into what is known and comfortable even if it keeps them stuck. You will need to love yourself enough to stay with the uncomfortable feelings and be willing to experience them and go through them.

3. Your healing process is not going to be smooth, will need a lot of support as you go through its ups and downs. Surround yourself with family, friends and guides that will reflect your values and encourage you to keep on going. And you will need all the support you can get from yourself in order to not sabotage your own progress. Self-love will make you your own best friend and biggest cheerleader.

4. As your healing deepens and progresses you will experience old wounds and patterns that will start to surface. This is the pain of healing, the dark tunnel that will eventually lead you to the light on the other side. You will need to hold yourself lovingly and tenderly as you would a beloved child. You will need to talk to yourself with words of courage and compassion. That is the only way to heal the pain that resides deep within all of us.

5. When you are motivated by negative reasons, making healthy choices can seem like a chore, a struggle or even a punishment. You may eat greens for a while knowing they are good for you, but you’d much rather have cake instead. When you learn to love yourself those same choices become an act of self-care, a source of pride and joy. Self-love makes those choices natural and effortless.

6. It is fine to be where you are. If dissatisfaction got you started on your healing journey, that’s ok. Promise yourself that you will learn to shift it and cultivate self-love daily by the thoughts you think, the words you say and the feelings you have for yourself. Love is the biggest and strongest motivator. Because why would you want to care for someone you don’t love? And what wouldn’t you do for someone you love?