Self-love: Understanding 6 things that take time

Self-love is one of the most important things that we should keep on priority at all times. Be it pampering ourselves or taking care of the things that we need to heal from, loving ourselves is the first step of loving life and doing life right. In relationships as well, we need to love ourselves first – only then we will be capable enough to take care of the other person and make them happy. However, in self-love, there are certain things which take time. Even though we sometimes rush through it, in order to completely be emotionally capable and strong, we need to understand the things which are better done slowly.

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Psychotherapist Emily H Sanders noted down the things which take time and should be considered as well. “Despite our best efforts, some things can’t be rushed. We can remain open and teachable so as not to get in the way of our healing- but like it or not, many significant things take time,” read an excerpt of her post. Take a look:

Healing from trauma: When we have been through extreme trauma which has shaped our adult relationships in the due course of time, healing from it takes a lot of time. We should allow ourselves that time to heal from it completely, only then we will be able to get over the trauma and love completely.

Trust ourselves: often we make a mistake or commit a failure, which shakes the foundation of belief and trust that we have on ourselves. We should learn to give ourselves second chances and forgive ourselves to love again.

Breaking family cycles: Some of us are born and brought up in dysfunctional homes, which later hamper the way we deal with our adult relationships. Breaking such stereotypes and creating a safe space for our emotions also take time.

Grieving loss: When we lose someone close to us, we often grief and try to move on. But grief has its own timeline and should be allowed to flow out in its own speed.

Unhealthy relationships: Breaking the shackles of unhealthy relationships also cannot be done instantly. Since we put in love, efforts and energy, time, it also takes its own time to stop.

Change: Changing ourselves, our patterns, perspectives and opinions also take time. As we learn to navigate through life, we undergo healthy changes as well.