8 Indian Women Discover Self Love, Here's How They Made It Happen

Self love the modern word dictionary means loving yourself. It has often taken akin to selfishness, vanity, greed. However, this is not the case.  The concept of self love is never really taught to us women in our lives. We end up reading about it in help books, social media and over time develop our own idea about it. It not only means improvement, but encourages one to accept themselves.

Here are 8 women who try to love themselves better each day:

Taking time out for yourself

Ananya Agarwal is a 24 year old shoe designer who believes that self care is the best form of self love.

"We often in our lives lose sight of ourselves, chasing goals. For me, taking time out for yourself is the best remedy. Cut yourself some slack sometimes and pamper yourself from time to time. Basically, I reward myself in the form of spas, travelling and shopping."

Ananya Agarwal

Being confident in yourself

Archana Kapoor, a community radio activist believes that self love goes hand in hand with self belief.

"Confidence in what I am doing and what I want. If I don’t believe in myself, it would be difficult to convince others. I also think that it’s important to like who you are and how you look to be comfortable with yourself."

Read Also: Enrich Life Tells You Why Self Love Is Important: An Excerpt

Acceptance

Sakshi Sitesh, a 22 year old student at IIMC, Delhi has a beautiful understanding of self love.

"We haven't been taught that self-love is not the same as narcissism. It is a learned behavior and self-love goes a long way. It is accepting yourself for who you are and since the acceptance takes a lot of time to come it is a daily reminder to be gentle to yourself. Self-love is sometimes a warm cup of Chamomile tea, reading a book with a face mask on while a lemongrass oil burns in a diffuser. But most days it is about feeding yourself when you cannot even get out of your bed. It is saying no and knowing when to say no. Self-love is healthy boundaries and trying to like yourself when it is the hardest to."

Keisha, a media student has a similar understanding.

"In this age where we can easily compare ourselves with other people, self-love is something we often neglect. Self-love is accepting all of you; the good, the bad, and the in-between. It is 'you' appreciating yourself more and hating yourself less. Loving oneself is a daily process. It is learning how to be patient and how to be kind with ourselves. It is embracing all of our complexities. I think, once we start to love ourselves deeply, we will eventually be at peace with our identities and will see other people compassionately."

Feeling secure within yourself

Aanya Wig, a college student at LSR knows what it feels like to not love your body. Over time she has understood that self love goes beyond our exterior appearance.

Self Love, Aanya Wig in her moment of happiness

"Self love to me means loving yourself from your stretch marks to your fat stomach. Loving yourself beyond how you look to the world, loving yourself so that you know the sun is inside you and not in the viewer's eyes."

Chinmoyi Bhushan, a student in The States understands that it can mean a lot of things for different people. But something that strikes her most is the feeling of security when you love yourself enough. Nobody's view about you can now mess with your self worth.

Read Also: Hey Woman, Be Yourself, Love Yourself Unapologetically

Happiness

Shweta Rastogi, a homemaker in Delhi often does not get time for herself.

"Being a homemaker is a full time job which I still have not gotten used to. I have started embracing the little moments of happiness and joy I get when I am with my loved ones. It is the best kind of therapy I feel when you are appreciated and welcome to change in your life. Over time I have loved myself because of the love given to me by others."

Ankita, a graduate from the University of Delhi is still learning to love herself. For her, being happy from within is one of the biggest challenges she faces. She believes that she will slowly get there.

Read Also: 5 Women On Why We Should Spend More Time Amidst Nature

Saumya Rastogi is an intern with SheThePeople