Self-respect

Self-respect is about loving yourself wholeheartedly and having dignity and honour with your own behaviour, decisions, and choices.

When you have self-respect, you will also treat other people the same kind of respect you have for yourself even if they do not show it back. It makes you feel good and allows you to have a more positive outlook on life.

Self-respect is important because even when people look down on you, you can’t be put down because you already know your worth.

However, it does not mean that you should not take into consideration what others are saying. Having respect for yourself means you can also take criticisms and reflect upon them.

This makes you open to any changes so that you will become a better person. You also know when to say “no” to things you know that are not good for you mentally, emotionally, physically, and even financially.

Self-respect and pride are different from each other. Pride is an excessive form of self-worth which can be destructive while self-respect encompasses all feelings of self-worth but still having honour and dignity.

Pride is when you are looking at your actions and accomplishments as a source of pleasure. Having excessive pride borders on egoism.

Basically, without having self-respect, you can’t love yourself or other people. Self-respect allows you to be more confident about yourself and if you have it, you know how to decide for yourself and give your partner the respect they also deserve.

It helps in having a great relationship and better communication with others. Another advantage is that you have high confidence which will lead to achieving your dreams in life.

Self-esteem/ self-confidence and self-respect are related in terms of your opinion of yourself.

How you value or respect yourself adds to your self-esteem.

If you think lowly of yourself, then your self-esteem also goes down. But if you regard yourself with the highest respect, your self-esteem goes up, making you an overall better person.

There are many ways to have self-respect. One of the best ways to have self-respect is being honest with yourself. We are not all perfect human beings as we all have our own flaws. The first thing in having respect for yourself is to be honest about who you are. You should not live like someone else and be true to yourself.

“Believe in yourself and you will be unstoppable.”

However, it does not mean that when there are criticisms, you shouldn’t hear them.

Having self-respect also means that you can change things within you that are worth changing.

Our self-respect begins at birth and will constantly develop as we grow up.

The factors for having self-respect are stemmed from how we are treated and taught.

When we have low respect for ourselves, it can lead to problems for us and for other people. But what causes the lack of self-respect? Here are some of the reasons:

• Letting the opinion of others control you
• Lack of knowledge
• Always under pressure
• Bullying or humiliation
• Not self-aware
• No belief in yourself and no boundaries

Self-respect is important for our overall well being. If we want to value ourselves, we should protect our self-respect by doing the following:

• Accept yourself completely
• Forgive yourself for your mistakes
• Learn how to handle criticism
• Take care of your mind and body
• Take responsibility for your own actions
• Honour your morals and values

“Be proud of who you are. And not ashamed of how others see you.”

Being a woman can be hard in a world which is dominated by men, which is why it is even more important for a woman to have respect for herself.

If you are a woman who feels a little bit insecure, learn how to respect yourself by doing the following:

• Be confident of your own body
• Don’t put down other women
• Accept compliments and criticisms
• Strive to better every single day
• Stand up for yourself if needed
• Look after yourself

“You are good enough, smart enough, beautiful enough and strong enough. Believe it and stop letting insecurity run your life.”