Self-Love

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Without selflove it is impossible to love others. Selflove is not simply thinking about yourself, or putting yourself first. It is loving yourself equally with your Love for your neighbor-- not more! So, selflove has no arrogance or selfishness about it.

What you would not do to a dearly beloved and sensitive friend, you do not do to yourself. If you would not drive a friend to work more after she is exhausted, do not do this to yourself. If you would ask that friend to get reasonable rest and relaxation, do that for yourself.

Especially mothers are often called on to exhaust themselves, and often, children do not know where to draw the line. For kids, work seems at times never to be "enough." So, a mother must listen to her own bodymind, and receive its signals. When the bodymind asks for rest, she must respond. Otherwise, the "call" for rest gets louder: She might succumb to a cold, for example. A cold is quite often a signal that we are overworking our bodies. It is a signal to rest.

Meditating every day, doing some deep breathing and visualization, eating well, sleeping and exercising regularly, can prevent exhaustion and its attendant illnesses, to some extent. So, let us reasonably commit time to moderate daily exercise, watching our diet, avoiding too much junkfood, meditation, deep breathing (often in a room with an airfilter), regular sleep, good food, and herbs, vitamins, and minerals if we need them. If you do all this out of true selflove, your life will be happier and brighter.