In this day and age, we speak about all kinds of love. We believe in loving everybody and accepting them for who they are. But sometimes, I catch myself forgetting the most important kind of love: self-love. We hear and see from many public figures and campaigns speaking out in favor of self-love. There’s a strong encouragement to embrace every flaw and flaunt it, because you are who you are. I feel so empowered to be surrounded by feminists who provoke others to be proud and fearless to be themselves.

It seems like I stepped out happy of whom I am, but along the way, I forgot another important piece of self-love. I failed to remember that the most crucial part of self-affection is dedicating time during which you only serve yourself. You can tell yourself you are beautiful, smart and kind; but when you stop taking care of your own emotions rather than everyone else's emotions, none of the other self-appreciations are going to matter.

Falling out of place didn’t happen easily for me; I spent a lot of time trying to love and find love in others rather than myself. What I soon realized, though, is that if you can’t give yourself love, then how can you expect someone else to? Self-love is about loving yourself for all that you are, as well as actually giving yourself the care and attention you need. Your body’s well-being and your mental health requires the same attention you would give to another person. It’s easy to get caught up in focusing on the love you’re trying to give someone else or the love you want to receive.

I admit that the desire to be loved by another can be more appealing than just loving yourself, solo. What I know now is that self-love comes before being in love, and if you want the latter you need the former. Ambassadors of self-love will promote the special treatment of self-awareness alongside self-empowerment. Tell yourself you are beautiful, but also give yourself the time of day to feel beautiful. Take care of yourself, and your will to do so will let you experience the best kind of love.