Happy Valentines! Or for singles, Happy Single Awareness Day! I usually post about my fave reads or ramble on my all-time genre of choice—romance. But let me steer clear of fictional stories this year and focus on love in the real world, as the English translation of the famous BTS song is keen to promote (hence the title)—SELF LOVE. We also need to focus on our well-being. Something I came to terms with just lately is that self-love is not about arrogance and selfishness. It encourages a positive attitude toward oneself. A positive mind is a productive self! And that love, which I believe can flow around you and affect others too,

I feel like I’m not the best person to talk about self-love. I have super low self-esteem. And I’m awfully shy. Introverted x 10000! Yep, I’m not kidding. I’d rather hide than meet my parents’ visitors when they come to visit the house. I don’t like attending gatherings that involve relentless & snooping relatives *smh*. If possible, I shun events that involve crowds. Those who may need me to mingle know that I’m not good at conversations. I often receive comments like I’m hard to approach. I was told I had a spark of “I just want to be alone” energy. Although I wasn’t always like this before. But life is happening, and you’re bound to change. By the time I was in my late teens, I had avoided meaningless friendships. I kept friends that lasted (shout-out to my very best friend in college! ILY! you rock, call me when you’re getting married!) and I am no longer uncomfortable with the fact that I am by myself. I find comfort in being alone. And it’s ok; it’s not as bad as most people think it is.

If anything, I am guilty of being too hard on myself. I had so many expectations. So much pressure I put on myself! I had enough confidence in my wee years, but life really is not all rainbows and sunshine. Enter adulthood! I learned it the hard way. There were times in my life—mostly in my early 20s—that I was so down. My parents were worried about me at one point when they saw that things still didn’t happen even after I set my mind to them. My career choices were on and off. But I have now learned to accept failure. Defeat is not the end but actually a restart. In life, failure is also an option, but it isn’t the only true ending. I was so scared of failing that I didn’t try anymore. But I learned that I can try again. Failure isn’t as scary (though it still is) as I viewed it before. If I love myself, I shouldn’t be too hard on myself. I should be as forgiving of myself as I am of others. I need that break. Aside from the support of other people, it is also important to encourage oneself. If we can share love with others, then we can definitely do that ourselves.

The point of this tl;dr is to remember that celebrating love includes yourself. ❤ We have to take care of our well-being too. So if you’re single today, you can treat yourself to your favorite food! Or buy something you like for your simple pleasure (mine’s a sticker for my journal) and watch your fave shows. Do something that will make you happy today. Yes, tell ourselves, that we love us! I love me!