Division of International Studies
Choosing what to write about was quite a difficult question for me, and I wanted this short but long piece of writing to be valuable for those who read it. After a long thought, I decided to write things in my head, considering many others will be the same.
Looking back on the year that has passed, for me, love was one of the keywords of 2022. What comes to your mind when you hear the word love? Family, friends, your lover, your hobbies, the things that make you happy, or even the fabulous weather that made you smile today. Those I all agree with, but deep inside, there was always a voice asking me, “How about me?” Loving myself was the most challenging type among various types of love.
Based on my experience, the key factors of loving myself, which are all tough things to do, were based on these three things.
Confidence, prioritizing myself and being true to myself no matter what. Being confident and trusting yourself helps you not hesitate. It is not easy, and it is natural to want to please everyone. Still, you must realize that your actions can never satisfy everyone. No matter what you do, there will be people who feel disappointed in any way. Please do not feel intimidated unless it's a situation where you have to. Enjoy your choices rather than matching them to the reactions of others. We should walk at our own pace and not follow the lead of others. Prioritizing yourself above anything else is always essential. Constant, never- ending consideration of others is never reasonable. Feeling constrained and reading the faces of others in your daily life is not any different from losing yourself. Last but not least, be true to yourself. Accept your flaws and associate with people who like you the way you are. Decorating yourself for the pleasure of others, in the end, may lead to an empty shell. Your whole life isn't even enough to find out who you are. To borrow the words of Albert Camus, forever, we shall be a stranger to ourselves.
With all of these in your mind, find what you're genuinely interested in, the things that make you happy. Goals deep down there that you wanted to achieve all along. Ignoring what's pulling you back will able you to sprint forward. Along the process, you will find yourself smiling, filled with faith, and enjoying the moment. To me, this looks like loving and caring for every moment of your life.
I had to go through many ups and downs to realize this. These are all the things I still need help with, things that are easy to say but difficult to put into practice. You have to bump into yourself before being able to handle them. Something that you have to be constantly reminded of. I am not a professional and cannot tell you what to do or not to do. Everyone has their own way of getting over hardships. I am sharing my story with people still searching for their ways.
There will be nights that you won't be able to fall asleep, and maybe some you spend up crying. Thinking about the things you can't do rather than the things you can. Blaming yourself for not being good at anything. Putting pressure on yourself can motivate you, but only to a certain degree. Despite how absurd it might sound, the answer to loving yourself is simple. You must remember that everyone should be loved just the way they are. It's the smallest, easiest, but at the same time, the most challenging step to loving yourself. I'll end my writing with the famous lines of Dumbledore. “Happiness can be found even in the darkest times if one only remembers to turn on the light.” I hope you remember to turn on the light of your day.