My journey to self-love, like that of many others, was not easy and is far from over. I've had my ups and downs, I've had moments where I love every aspect of myself and times where I've wanted to change every little thing that's wrong with me. However, as I continue this journey, I've come to realize just how important self-love really is and how positively it has affected my life as it has grown.

I know the term self-love gets thrown about a lot, and the idea can seem overhyped or talked about far too much. But it truly is as important, possibly more, than everyone believes it is, so here are the ways that self-love reaches beyond just confidence and self-image.

The way we value relationships is very dependent on our character and our experiences, but learning to value ourselves within relationships is something that shouldn't be so dependent. Often in friendships and relationships, we want the best for the other person so badly, we forget about the best for ourselves. People are inherently social beings, and we want the love and acceptance of others so badly that we can turn a blind eye to the toxicity or simply mismatched nature of some of our relationships.

It can be difficult to put yourself first, and some people will call it selfish, but choosing to remain in or leave relationships should always boil down to what is best for you and not the other person. Choosing to stay or leave based on your own interests is a key aspect of self-valuing and will either save both you and the other person from even more pain or will help you develop an even healthier relationship than what you once had. In this, you can create important, valuable relationships with new people who help you become the best you, and strengthen important ones like the ones you have with your family members.

Developing self-love can also lead you into success when regarding your academic or professional career as well as your health. I personally never feel more motivated or organized than when I feel good about myself, and I want to radiate the positive energy I feel into other aspects of my life. Being able to view your own strengths and accept your weaknesses makes you feel as though anything is possible and productivity in general just feels so easy.

In turn, self-love makes you motivated to evaluate and focus on your health, both mental and physical. Being able to embrace every aspect of your personality is definitely not easy, I know I still struggle with what I consider my weaknesses both big and small. However, what may seem like small steps to achieving that kind of viewpoint can be big strides in reaching that level of awareness and self-acceptance that I think is fundamental to the foundations of self-love and understanding.

Self-image and awareness play a lot into this idea, and I think that self-image should not only be something you are proud of physically but mentally as well. Learning to embrace your weaknesses along with your strengths can lead to the kind of confidence the professional world calls for, and the productivity and drive needed to get through the academic world first. So much success can be created and accumulated just on the journey to self-love, so imagine what amazing things can be achieved at the end of the road.

I have struggled with my own self-love and self-image issues since I was 13-years-old. Not only that, but I have listened to so many friends who have experienced their own struggles and problems with embracing who they are in so many aspects for even longer than that. We live in a society that is learning to come to terms with a lot of "invisible problems" like mental health issues and the kinds of values we implant into the mindsets of the young general public. As we all work toward these kinds of understandings, I think it is important to focus on our own personal journeys and developments with how we view ourselves. It is time to stop calling people selfish for putting themselves and their own wellbeing and worth first and time to start learning to understand their self-love while also beginning the adventure of finding our own. Trust me, the journey is long, but when you're not even halfway there, you'll look back and already be grateful you took it.