Secure Your Own Oxygen Mask First

“Only from the heart can you touch the sky.” -Rumi

The way we are with ourselves sets the tone to all of the other relationships that we will let enter our lives. It is not for nothing that we get the '' secure your own oxygen mask first'' warning on the plane before departure. The truth is that if you don't take care of yourself first, you won't be able to take care of others properly.

Self-love is the foundation upon which we build the person we want ourselves to be. It's the first step to take in order to construct a healthy self- image. It's likely that you've heard time and again that if you don't love yourself, you can't love others. Well it's nothing but the truth! When you think about it, we are the one person we will spend the most of our time on here with. We will be our longest relationship. People may come and go, but we're the one person that will always stay no matter what. To me, it does not make any sense to spend life being at war against ourselves and wish we were someone else. It is not only a waste of time, but a waste of the precious person we are.

You are on here for a very specific reason, and until you find out what it is, you ought to treat yourself with the greatest love and respect.
What you don't give onto yourself, you can't give onto others.

There are so many benefits of cultivating self-compassion toward ourselves.
This is what the Dalai Lama has to say about it:

“ If love is defined as a wish that others be happy and compassion as the wish that they be free from suffering, and you cultivate love and compassion within yourself, it will ensure happiness, good health and peace of mind.“

I feel that when you truly love and accept yourself without any conditions, chances are that you will act in such a way with others. Unfortunately, people who don't love themselves are much more likely to cause harm onto others. When you don't value yourself, how can you value others? Or how can you convice someone to value you? No matter what you do, you will never be able to fill the void inside yourself through others.
The fact is that the only person who can change your feelings of inadequacy is yourself. No one else. It's your battle and yours only.