HEALTH
R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
Find Out What It Means To You
Advice on your most important relationship from psychologist
Dr. Denee Jordan
We’ve all heard it, “You have to love yourself before you love anyone else.” Actually, this isn’t true. In fact, most of us love other people much more easily than we
love ourselves. Frequently, we even love our pets more easily. However, though
we can love others without loving ourselves, the truth is our relationships are
much healthier when we do. We can’t feel true contentment unless we learn to
love, and even more importantly, respect ourselves. When we do not respect ourselves, it manifests in all of our relationships.
I
t can manifest as irritability, hyper-sensitivity,
or being overly critical of other people. All
of our interactions are distorted to a certain
degree, but it is our own happiness that is
impacted the most.
Respect is considered a key element in any loving
relationship, including self-love. Self-respect, however, is a learned skill that many people are never
taught. We are taught that we should have self-respect, but not how to get it. Too frequently the
belief is that we can earn self-respect by making
enough money, pleasing others, getting promoted,
losing weight and so forth. In actuality, the opposite is true; self-respect is the precursor to success.
Respect is considered
a key element in any
loving relationship,
including self-love.
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