The concept of self-love always seemed a little foolish to me. I felt that it held no purpose. I felt that it was just another reason for girls to post a million selfies on a daily basis and have a reasonable, or in other words, acceptable excuse behind it.

Harsh, right?

I think it’s almost because this society is convinced that the meaning of self-worth is knowing you’re pretty, or knowing you’re intelligent. Those are definitely factors of understanding self-worth but it holds a much more in-depth meaning.

It wasn’t until I had a broken heart that I realized how much I love and adore myself. I admire the way I handle situations, the way I write and the way I admire people. Self-love, in my understanding, is the moment you realize that you are more important than anyone or anything else in comparison.

I have gone all my life putting people above me and so many people do the same. In certain situations you need to be able to be selfish, and walk away from certain situations when you know it’s not good for you. This is what self-love means to me. It means knowing when it’s time to walk away from a situation, knowing you have had enough and knowing when you deserve better.

Self-love isn’t only limited to relationships, but to broader aspects within your life that can teach important lessons that we should all yearn to obtain. We should master our self-love in our day to day lives, in things like school, work and many others.

This is a problem I’ve encountered while just having simple conversations with people on a daily basis. We often forget that we are so young. We have a whole life full of accomplishments, failures, and experiences, and we forget that these little things are not going to hold purpose in our bright futures.

It is almost as though this society is allowing us to believe that without the acceptance of others we are not whole; we are not enough. In some cases, it may even be the ones close to us that make us feel that way, and that’s exactly what you need to walk away from. If you don’t walk away, at least have strength to understand your value and worth.

Do not let the perception of a relationship control you, especially this Valentine’s day. Do not let being alone this year get you down. Ignore the memes and love yourself.