What self-respect really is

I remember one day I got back home from school. That day was quite bitter, it was one of those days where I wanted to wrap myself with a blanket like a burrito and never face the world (people)…at least for a few hours 😅.

We may often feel like we need other people to appreciate us in order to feel whole. When I help someone at school and that person doesn’t appreciate what I do as much as they should (or they don’t treat me with the same level of respect), those feelings often bring out the worst in me. However, are they supposed to? Can I ever control that? Why does it matter? What does that say about me?

I stumbled upon a saying: “What we are inside, reflects on the outside”.

Firstly, we cannot expect others to accept or love us if we cannot not accept, love, and respect ourselves. It’s only once we build this confidence within us that we are more likely to maintain healthy relationships with people around.

Secondly, in its simplest form, respecting ourself also means accepting ‘fully’ the person we are. This means learning to accept all the good and all the bad that make us who we are. As a result, we love ourselves enough to realise that not every relationship we form with the people we meet every day is worth it. We can then choose the ones that make us happy, motivating us to grow, as well as let go off the ones that make us worse off.

Practices like yoga or even deep breathing have further helped me gain this self awareness. When we learn our worth, know our value, and advocate for ourselves as needed, that is when we truly come to respect ourselves.

⁃ SaaniaSparkle 🧚🏻‍♀️