To love yourself right now, just as you are, is to give yourself heaven. Don’t wait until you die. If you wait, you die now. If you love, you live now. – Alan Cohen

This post is a follow up to 10 Reasons to Love Your Body. I thought what perfect time to bring up the subject than around Valentine’s Day. We often forget, especially during this celebration, that we also need to show ourselves more love and appreciation.

There are many reasons why we should love ourselves, not in the narcissistic kind of way, but in the genuine embrace of our being. I will explore some obvious and some not so obvious reasons why self-love is important in the hopes of improving your well-being and the well-being of others.

1. Peace in your mind.

To me this is the most important reason to love yourself. Everything starts in the mind, so if you have peace in your mind, naturally you will find peace in your life.

Peace in your mind means accepting yourself as you are. Make it a daily routine to look at yourself in the mirror and practice saying, “this is me, the one and only, and I love myself”. Then look at your body and say, “this is my body, it’s not perfect, but I love it because it’s mine.”

Appreciating yourself without a desire to change is the most beautiful gift you can give yourself this Valentine.

2. More self-confidence.

Self-love equals self-confidence. When you love yourself, it is evident in the way you present yourself in the public, in the way you talk, and in the way you move. And people will respond differently (read: more pleasantly) to the comfortable image of yourself that you portray.

3. Abundance of kindness.

When you love yourself and treat yourself with kindness you are essentially your own best friend and you are bound to exercise this kindness on others as well. People will love to be around you and they in turn will also feel more willing to be kind to others. After all, kindness is the power that should drive the world.

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4. Better health.

Those who love themselves take good care of themselves. They are people who respect their minds and bodies and so they feed their minds with positive thoughts and their bodies with healthy food. This turns them into more physically and mentally healthy people. Needless to say, learning to love yourself is a huge benefit to your health.

5. Better decisions.

Mind can be full of clutter – worry, unneeded information, low self-worth, and so on. When the mind is free of this clutter, we allow it to focus more clearly on our goals and devise more precise steps on how to achieve them.

6. Deeper love for others.

There is a saying that I’m sure you’ve heard before – you can’t love others until you learn to love yourself first. Well, there is a reason behind the saying. If you can’t fully appreciate who you are, you can’t fully appreciate others in your life either. You are more worried about how you should be and why you should be than noticing the good people around you. Give yourself a break and change this around.

7. More time for people and things that matter.

Loving yourself means learning to say no to people and things that would not benefit you so that in essence you are more free to do what your heart desires including spending quality time with people that matter and doing things that move you.

8. More spirituality.

When you love yourself you consciously send positive, encouraging thoughts to yourself, raising your own awareness of who you are. You are in tune with your higher self and the spiritual world which brings more internal peace.

9. Look and feel younger.

It is no wonder that people who love themselves look and feel younger. They are more willing to go on adventures, try new things, and meet new people which in turn keeps their spirits young.

10. Universe reciprocates.

Whatever thoughts you send into the Universe, the Universe will reciprocate. If you constantly worry about your looks, the Universe will amplify those negative traits and they will be even more visible to you. But if you send love and kindness to yourself, the Universe will do the same.

With so many reasons for self-love it would be a shame not to make a habit out of it. If you agree with this list, spread the love and share with your friends. Even better, leave a comment if you find it easy or not to love yourself and why.