Do you Love yourself enough to Care?

 There is a thin dividing line between self-love and self-care. Often times we substitute one for the other and use the words in the same context. However, self-love is a much deeper feeling of the self where you value yourself for who you are as an individual and entity.

Self-care falls into the domain of should or should not. There is a whole industry that trains people towards how to care enough for themselves for better performance, better appearances, and better excellence. People link the need for self-care depending on the needs of medical care, how much money and time have at disposal.

In this domain, one is struggling to be a better human being looks and performance-wise. Here experts train you towards better competencies and traits that you may not have. You assess yourself on some parameters and are then are given the training to upgrade your skill and competencies.

Many people believe that this is part of the self-love traits that we possess. However loving yourself means accepting who you are as an individual without any complex, competencies and competition.

Here your skills are not measured or evaluated against anybody else. You yourself are your own parameter of who you are as an individual. Growth is based on accepting the self the way you are a not on any comparative skills.

It is a very peaceful and quiet location to be in. At one level you are aware of who you are and what you are at another you don’t care what the other does.

As human beings, we should learn to differentiate between our internal callings whether we are responding to a choice of self-care or self-love.

Both these choices are important in life for us to grow and live in this world. But what importance do we give to each choice is based on a personal calling and personal choice.

If I were to reflect on my own choice I think I get drawn more towards the self-love location because it permits me to be who I am without any competition. Comfort, convenience, and compassion are what I care about rather than looking good or feeling good for the other.

Where would you locate yourself honestly without a judgment on these two dimensions?

Author:-Dr. Nayana Shah (Ph.D.)

           Director, Manthan

             Ahmedabad 

Comments

  1. Sudeshna bhojiaOctober 26, 2021 at 11:23 PM

    I feel that an important part of self care (apart from upgrading skills, knowledge base, cosmetic , medical and physical fitness) is taking care of own mental health. by taking care of one's own mental health, which also encompasses what you have defined as self love (accepting oneself the way we are). I personally feel that 'Self Care' is a demonstration of self love- I mean when we love self, we do care for it.

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