Discovering the Practice of Self-Love

Gwen Gofus '23 - Staff Writer

Self-love is a regard for one’s own well-being and happiness. According to Raylen Williams, a yoga and self-love instructor at Beebe Healthcare, self-love is a “physical feeling as well as mental.” Williams said while your “mind can travel elsewhere, your body is right here,” and in order to strengthen your self-love you must first answer the question, “What does your heart need?”

Mrs. Kate Austin, the health teacher here at Cape Henlopen High School, answered a few questions on the self-love topic. When asked if she loved herself and if others loved her, she immediately responded “yes” to both. She replied to the next prompt, if she thought the two were related, and she disagreed. When asked to elaborate on her answer to the last question, she said, “If you don’t love you first, why would anybody else?”

Many experts have discovered that high school students struggle with the concept of self-love. Loving yourself first can be an issue. Freshman Kathryn Drumheller, responded to the same questions Mrs. Austin was asked. She responded, “I do love myself…mostly because of the way I carry myself as a person.” She does believe others love her because of the love and support she receives. When questioned if the two corresponded, she said that she thought they did because “when loved by others, some people are more confident to love themselves.”

Drumheller was then posed with the question on whether or not she believed in herself. She said, “I do strongly believe in myself because at the end of the day you only got yourself.” For anyone having a difficult time with self-love or confidence, Drumheller would advise them to “start with acceptance. Y’all gotta accept who you are before you love [someone else].” This guidance from Drumheller links with the words from Mrs. Austin. Mrs. Austin said, “At the end of the day you’re stuck with you, so you might as well accept the things and abilities you have.”

Self-love can be challenging, but after practice of answering the question, “What does your heart need?” You can slowly come to accept your amazing self.