Positive Self Regard

"In loving ourselves, we love the world.  Yet, how do we love ourselves?  I can only say that loving yourself is like feeding a clear bird that no one else can see,"  Mark Nepo

Loving oneself is a prerequisite to loving others, and it seems a very difficult thing for humans to do.  Humans seem to range from too much bravado (which is actually not self love) to self-defacing.  The goal here is pure self regard:  to care about oneself as much as one would a dear, dear friend.  That means no more negative comments about our physical bodies or our behaviors.  It means treating ourselves gently, eating food that is good for us, doing exercise that strengthens our bodies, practicing thoughts of positive content toward ourselves.  This may seem selfish, but it is not.  It is only in loving ourselves in a healthy way that we can also love others.