A couple of days ago my partner Lou showed me one of Watson’s latest videos on Facebook. In the video, people were asked what they loved about their clothes, their car or their house. And they were able to answer the question very easily. But when asked what they love about themselves, each one of them suddenly became hesitant, some even seemed to be at a lost for words.
Watch the video below:
But is it really that hard to answer; “What do you love about yourself?”
Maybe its just because we Filipinos aren’t used to talking about ourselves, maybe because we are not fond of praising ourselves lest we be judged as “nagbubuhat ng sariling bangko.”
Or maybe it is really hard to answer the question.
Self-love has become a major theme for a lot of campaigns as it hopes to inspire people to rethink about their priorities. That sometimes while we are busy with our careers, our family, our friends or even our relationships–we forget that before we could give love, we have to love ourselves first.
So if you are having trouble answering the question, here are a few thoughts to hopefully help you find the answer.
- For those who feel inferior: “Low self-esteem is like driving through life with your hand-break on.”– Maxwell Maltz
- For those who look for a reason in everyting: “A healthy self-love means we have no compulsion to justify to ourselves or others why we take vacations, why we sleep late, why we buy new shoes, why we spoil ourselves from time to time. We feel comfortable doing things which add quality and beauty to life.”– Andrew Matthews
- For those who equate happiness with other people: “Don’t rely on someone else for your happiness and self-worth. Only you can be responsible for that. If you can’t love and respect yourself – no one else will be able to make that happen. Accept who you are – completely; the good and the bad – and make changes as YOU see fit – not because you think someone else wants you to be different.”– Stacey Charter.
- For those who are look down on themselves: “You have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.”– Louise L. Hay
- For those who fail and fail often“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassions, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”– Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
- For those who live for the Social Media likes: “The better you feel about yourself, the less you feel the need to show off.” Robert Hand. and “The reward for conformity is that everyone likes you but yourself.”– Rita Mae Brown
- For those who are content about blending in instead of standing out: “I think everybody’s weird. We should all celebrate our individuality and not be embarrassed or ashamed of it.” Johnny Depp
- For those who can’t decide for themselves: “Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.”– Benjamin Spock
- For those who are afraid to speak out: “It’s surprising how many persons go through life without ever recognizing that their feelings toward other people are largely determined by their feelings toward themselves, and if you’re not comfortable within yourself, you can’t be comfortable with others.”– Sidney J. Harris
- For those who are at the crossroads: “The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours – it is an amazing journey – and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins.”– Bob Moawad
- For those who are devastated: “Self-pity gets you nowhere. One must have the adventurous daring to accept oneself as a bundle of possibilities and undertake the most interesting game in the world making the most of one’s best.”– Harry Emerson Fosdick
- For those who think their time has passed. “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” George Eliot
Remember You are always with yourself, so you might as well enjoy the company.
Self-love is a state of appreciation for yourself that is manifested through different means. Self-love involves taking care of yourself, not losing touch with who you are despite the stresses of everyday life. Taking care of your health, face, hair and skin are some of the basic aspects of self-love because when you look good, you feel great.
Self-love starts with self-awareness, which means knowing your strengths and weaknesses and likes and dislikes. It can mean anything from doing something that will make you feel great like wearing a new pair of shoes or applying red lipstick on a Monday to make you look good.
So what steps can you take to love yourself more and, in the process, feel great? Here are some suggestions:
- Be aware. It all starts with knowing who you are and what you can do.
- Don’t procrastinate. So one of your New Year’s resolutions is to achieve glowing skin. Don’t wait until the year is over to have a realistic skin care routine based on proper cleansing, moisturizing and sun protection.
- Be goal-oriented. Proper sleep, exercise and good nutrition are only some of the steps you should take to achieve your goals. List down your goals and think carefully how you can achieve them.
- Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re not perfect; nobody is. If you are overweight, you can do something about it. If you look tired, there’s a reason for that. It’s not because you were born that way.
- Realize that you’re not alone. So many people struggle with lack of time or will to take proper care of yourself. Watsons encourages people to love themselves more to look good and feel great.
To learn more about the video, visit the Watsons Philippines Facebook page and watsonsph on Instagram.
