There’s More to Self-Love than Doing What You Love
I love myself! Well…I do, don’t I?
Last week, I had an appointment for a general medical check-up. The doctor was an old man who worked as a medical officer in the armed forces.
He talked to me about the lifestyle changes I needed to make. He told me I ought to go to bed earlier and wake up earlier. Aargh, so not what I wanted to hear! I don’t know any zoomer who goes to bed at 10 pm and wakes up at 5 am. Even the thought of it sounded ridiculous!
To be fair, I knew the ‘early to bed, early to rise’ cliché would be thrown at me. It didn’t come as a surprise. What surprised me was what the doctor asked me next.
“Do you love yourself?”
Umm… what? Of course, I do! Heck, I had published an article about self-love and treating yourselves the day before I met him. Trust me, the irony is not lost on me.
I replied to the doctor, “Yes, I love myself.” I was confident I did.
But the question arises, do I? I write about lifestyle, but am I living a good lifestyle?
The doctor went on to tell me I should “pamper” myself. I did not expect to hear this from a person who served in the armed forces. You would think he would be a rigid man — a man’s man. But the truth couldn’t be farther from the thoughts I had conceived in my mind.
Damn, I guess I made a mistake subscribing to the stereotype!
He asked me to invest more time in my skincare routine. The thing is, I’m not the kind of girl who likes a heavy skincare regimen. It takes up way too much time. But I guess I need to make time for it now that the doctor advised me to do it.
Coming back to the sleep schedule, I know I can’t make a sudden change in my whole timetable. It is going to cause more harm than good. So, I’m going to take small steps toward changing my sleep pattern. Because, at some point, I have got to stop being a brat about it and grow up.
The incident made me realize that self-love is more than doing the things we love. It’s also about doing what’s best for you and your health. You have to love yourself enough to spend extra time and effort on things you might not like but are good for you.
As I’m writing this, I’m well aware of one thing. It’s time for me to listen to myself and practice more self-love by investing in a healthier lifestyle.
