"Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is one of the bravest things we'll ever do."

-Brene Brown 

I recently joined Instagram and created an account solely for fitness, which has become one of my absolute greatest passions. I know it sounds odd to learn valuable information from social media, but the women I follow have been teaching me a lot. I’m learning so much about how to exercise effectively, use nutrition to fuel myself adequately, and lift weights purposefully.

I've also learned that I haven't been alone in my struggles with body image and feelings of inadequacy. I believe a lot of my feelings have stemmed from society's (and my own) expectations to always be MORE-- to be thinner, prettier, smarter, kinder, sexier, stronger, etc. All too often we receive conflicting messages. We're told to love ourselves for who we are, and we're told we're more lovable if we fix everything "wrong" in the mirror.

There will always be conflicting messages, but it’s up to us which messages we choose to listen to and adopt into our self-concepts. I'm glad that self-love seems to be coming into the picture more, but what does "self-love" even mean and how do we do it?

While I'm no expert, I'm learning that self-love means knowing yourself, considering what makes you happy, and creating time to incorporate those tokens of happiness in your life. This might mean taking the time to put lotion on your legs because that makes you feel sexy, or taking a bath with candles at the end of the long day because you deserve to relax. It means exercising because it clears your mind, energizes your spirit, and makes you feel strong enough to conquer anything; not because you're punishing yourself, or just trying to keep up with society's standards. It means being thankful for what you have, who you are, and how far you've come. It amazes me how such small gestures to oneself make a difference, but I think these little expressions accumulate into something more...love.

Self-love is not arrogant, narcissistic, or self-absorbed. It's simply a gentle, daily promise to honor yourself. When you can love yourself, you can love others. When you take of yourself, you have enough of yourself left to share. When you love yourself, you are better able to give without expectation of return.