Growing up with the Christian faith, I was taught the values of humility, selflessness, and love for others. “Do for others.” “Die to yourself.” Those were concepts that I knew quite well. However, that well-known Christian teaching “Love your neighbor as yourself” somehow slid under the rug, forgotten. One day, I noticed it: As myself? Should I not love my neighbor more than I love myself? I saw a discrepancy. If Jesus told us to give all we have to others, how are we expected to love ourselves to the same extent we love others?

I looked more closely at the word “love.” I knew that love was an action. To love another is to care for him, to help him, to make sacrifices for him, to seek to understand him, to cherish him, to respect him, to appreciate him, to accept him, to forgive him, etc. The opportunities for love are endless. So, if I am to take the time to fully love myself, does that not leave me with less time to love others? The ironic thing is that, if you do not love yourself, there is no room to love others. It took me a long time to finally understand this. Maybe for some, this sounds like a no-brainer, but for me, it took time to finally come to this realization. Once I began to daily show love to my body and mind, I noticed myself slowly becoming more and more free, open, and able to love those around me.

Here are 5 simple ways to love ourselves that I have realized make all the difference in our ability to love others:

1. Cleanliness

I’m going to sound like a nagging mom on this one, but it's so important to shower, brush teeth, wash hands, etc. In doing this, we protect our bodies from illness. And the longer you are alive and healthy on this planet, the more time you have to love others. Also, to be blunt, people will be more open to being around you if you smell nice and stay clean. If more people want to be around you, you have more lives to be a part of and impact in some way.

2. Healthy Eating

This is a big one. A huge one, in fact. In college, the endless pizza and ice cream sounds like a dream. To many, the only downside of eating too much junk food is looking out of shape or not fitting into their favorite pair of jeans. But eating sugar and fat all day creates an overall lack of energy. Picture this: It’s breakfast time. You eat sausage, bacon, eggs (powdered ones from the caf. yum.), biscuits, grits, pancakes, muffins, the whole 9 yards. How do you feel after? Stuffed, bloated, and (here’s the big one) lazy. Healthy food gives us real, wholesome energy to take on the day. If we constantly feel tired and sick, how can we have the energy to go out of our way to be there for others?

3. Learning

Paying attention in class and studying extra hours may seem to only benefit you. But, the more you learn, the more capable you become to support others. As we learn, we become more open-minded and understanding. We are better able to communicate with others and more well-equipped to bring about social change in our world. The truth of the matter is that we are much more likely to have an impact in this world with a college degree and a solid education. We can also spread our knowledge to others, making the world’s population more well-informed and open-minded.

4. Sleep

All too often, we as college students fail to recognize the significance of a long night’s rest. Caffeine only masks the problem. Our bodies need rest. They need time off from the busy days of college life. And this brings us right back to the energy argument. We need real, wholesome energy to make a difference in the lives of others.

5. Alone Time

I am an extrovert. I get my energy from being around others. However, we can all get burned out sometimes. It’s okay to take time out and stay in for the night. If your friends really love you, they will understand. It’s never selfish to step away every so often and take some quiet time to focus on you. Meditate, pray, sleep. If it’s self-nurturing, it’s so worth it. You’ll feel more relaxed and happy tomorrow when you reunite with your friends and family. And who doesn’t love being around a happy, relaxed person?

I am writing this not to shove a belief system down anyone’s throat. I am writing this not to pretend like I am perfect. I am writing this because I too often see selfless, loving people get burned out. No time for sleep. No time for a healthy, home-cooked meal. No time for a day off. No time to read a book on his list of “Must-Reads.” No time for self-reflection. No free moments to pause, look in the mirror, and say “I love me.” A lifestyle like this can cause even the most caring, giving person to grow resentful, lethargic, and unloving. We need more love in this world. Don’t just say those 3 words to yourself. Show those 3 words to yourself. Each and every single day. Make it a priority. You are an instrument of love that needs to be fine-tuned. Three words. Seven letters. Say it, and you’re there for your family. There for your friends. There for strangers. Say it, and you are humanity's finely tuned instrument of love. Say “I love me,” and you’re theirs.