Everyone always talks about how you should love yourself. They say that self-love is so important, but rarely does anyone talk about the reasons to love yourself. We all lose the love for ourselves from time to time, so it is important that we remind ourselves what self-love can do for us.

1. You are the only you.

You’re unique. You’re different. You’re beautiful in your own special way, no matter what anyone else may think. There is no one quite like you. No one else is your kind of beautiful. No one else is your kind of talented. No one else is your kind of wonderful.

You are the only you.

2. Self-hatred doesn’t get you anywhere.

When you hate yourself, you dig yourself deeper and deeper into a hole. It only gets worse over time. I guess you could say that it gets you somewhere, but that somewhere is nowhere good.

3. You can’t fully love someone else unless you love yourself first.

As the saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup. You can’t fully give someone else the love they deserve from you if you don’t have any love for yourself. If you truly want to give someone your love, whether it’s a friend or significant other, you must first love yourself.

4. Self-love gives you confidence.

As soon as you give more love to yourself, your confidence rises. You DO look beautiful. You ARE intelligent. You DO deserve happiness. You’re not doing things or looking good for anyone but yourself, because you no longer care about what others say or think about you. You have the confidence to rise above the opinions of others through self-love.

5. Loving yourself creates positivity within you.

Self-love and the confidence that comes with it automatically bring positivity. You no longer feel unsatisfied with who you are as a person. When you invest in yourself, there is a change in perspective. Instead of thinking about how someone else will view you, how this or that is going to go, etc., you have a positive outlook from the start. Over time, this becomes natural, and nothing can stand in your way.

6. You’re missing out if you don’t love yourself.

Not loving yourself takes away a lot from your life. You aren’t able to enjoy the things you should be able to enjoy. You aren’t living your best life. You can put a fake face on and pretend, but covering it up isn’t going to help you. Don’t let self-hatred take over your life. Self-love allows you to appreciate life—from the little things to the big moments.

7. Self-love allows change for the better.

If you’re stuck in self-hatred, things will continue to get worse. If you love yourself, better things keep coming! With self-love, you are better able to create the change that you wish to see. The positivity that comes with loving yourself gives you the “I can do this!” attitude.

8. You deserve happiness, and you can’t be happy if you don’t love yourself.

Everyone deserves happiness. Happiness also comes through loving yourself. If you don’t love, or aren’t satisfied, with who you are, how can you be happy? One can’t be truly happy in life if he/she does not practice self-love.

9. Self-love eliminates unnecessary stress.

When you love who you are, you don’t stress about those around you see you differently. You’re confident and happy with who you are, so there is no need to stress or worry about someone else’s irrelevant opinion!

10. Loving yourself takes time, but it is most definitely worth it.

Once you lose the love you once had for yourself, it is difficult to get it back. It is so important to realize that loving yourself, or self-love does not happen overnight. It takes time. There are setbacks. It’s not easy. It takes hard work and effort, but loving yourself makes life a whole lot easier.

Loving yourself takes time, but it is most definitely worth it.