Why every woman should love herself

Women have dynamic taste in almost everything: from fashion, food, furniture to even the minutest of things. We possess a great sense of ego which takes us everywhere. Many women build themselves based on how the society sees them, not how they see themselves. The society allocates gender roles that make the woman feel bad about her physical appearance, due to the set standards of how or what a woman should look like. For instance, the trend of having the ‘hourglass’ shape popularly known as ‘figure eight’ makes some women to go for surgeries or even starve themselves. Yet, they end up frustrated if they do not get the required result.

Many women box themselves into a corner trying to live according to someone’s standards or dictates. It is a sign of low-self esteem for a woman to want to look at other people and seek to be like them. This is because when they do this, they end up not appreciating themselves. And when you don’t love yourself as a woman, it brings out the worst in you, makes you vulnerable and misinterprets everything as rejection. A song by Whitney Houston ‘I’m every woman, it’s all in me’ reveals how every woman should see herself, because self love is a yard stick for attitude towards others.

Every woman has a reason for loving herself irrespective of age, location or occupation. There’s always something you love about yourself that gives you a sense of pride and makes you happy that you are a woman. According to Mrs. C. I. Onyeka, a business woman in her 50’s, “I love myself very well, because God made me a beautiful woman and no woman can measure up to me. I have a unique black colour that cannot be bought in the market. I am blessed with the ability to raise children and take care of the home. Indeed, I subscribe to the saying that ‘what a man can do a woman can do even better’. This attitude has helped me in relating well with my customers. It has also helped in keeping them coming back to me, which increases sales and help in my contribution to the family and society as a whole.”

Women need to embrace their power and ability. When a woman loves herself, all things are possible. She saves herself the trouble of trying to impress the society at her own expense. She lives in harmony with herself.

Mrs. Dorcas Victor, a banker in her late 20’s, said “Religiously, a woman cares more about God than the man; the woman is closer to God and has a special favor attached to her, which is why women have very large hearts to accommodate, manage resources and also build the foundation of the home.” She added that “I love myself because as a woman I am formed and fashioned beautifully, and men can’t do without women because of their specialty. In fact the world would have been a boring place without a woman. That is why God created a woman as a helpmate for the man.”

In her own submission, Dr. Elizabeth Dishon said when a woman is in love with herself, she is able to build a healthy home and raise healthy children which affect the society positively. “She is able to maintain a good social relationship and everybody around her is happy. It makes her courageous and zealous in every aspect of life. But women who do not love themselves are usually not medically sound; they are likely to have high blood pressure and unnecessary headaches. On the other hand, women that love themselves are usually jovial and full of laughter which is the best medicine in life. Being happy can also make one to look younger, it lowers blood pressure and heart rates, reduces pain, and strengthens immune system and cuts down stress-creating hormones. In essence, loving yourself as a woman is the greatest health you can give yourself and the world around you.

Here are some tips on how to love yourself: Put yourself in a priority list; nurture yourself, it is not selfish; always create time for yourself, you could do so by going to the spa or buying yourself a gift; learn to complement yourself; appreciate the people around you; most of all, learn to forgive yourself always and move on with life.

The feminine power, which no one else possesses, is enough for you to love yourself in all dimension. The joy of being a woman is not just about being different from the male sex, but realizing yourself as an individual with all the potentials and the ability to reproduce or give life. Womanhood depicts the priceless things in life which money can’t buy. As a woman, love myself knowing full well that you have the ability to make people smile around you smile.

Remain positive and know that you have that inner power that needs to be tapped into, say beautiful things to yourself because the more you say something the more you believe it to be true. So the next time you stand in front of the mirror and look at your body, hug yourself and say I LOVE… (put your name).