Self-love wasn't something that I understood until a young adult, as I was battling with depression and my therapist asked what I loved about myself? And I had no response. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Not only did I not know what I loved about myself, but I didn't understand what self-love was. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Before a person is able to practice it, first we need to understand what it means.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Self-love is a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our physical, psychological, and spiritual growth. Self-love means having a high regard for your own well-being and happiness. Self-love means taking care of your own needs and not sacrificing your well-being to please others. Self-love means not settling for less than you deserve.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Self-love can mean something different for each person because we all have many different ways to take care of ourselves. Figuring out what self-love looks like for you as an individual is an important part of your mental health. 
Happy Friday, here are some journal prompts for Depression, you may find helpful in bringing self-awareness and healing. 
Breaking the stigma on depression can be HARD! Sometimes your friends and family believe that sadness and depression are the same things. This is at no fault of their own, this stuff isn't taught in schools. We can take time to educate them on the difference. Sadness: You are sad about something for a few hours at a time. After a negative experience your mood changes, at most for a few weeks. Over time it gets a little better by itself. Depression: Most areas of your life are affected, and you show a combination of depressive symptoms for most of your day during at least two weeks, causing general distress. 
Sometimes it is hard to put our finger on it. What happened to make us feel depressed? Depression triggers are common. About 10% of Americans live with depression. According to the World Health Organization (WHO). Depression is often triggered by a stressful or negative life event. Similarly, a recurrence of a previous depressive episode can be brought on by situational causes. One that I did miss on this list is TRAUMA! By identifying depression triggers, people can identify and be aware and be alert to signs of depression in themselves and in others. The best way to identify triggers is to work with a mental health professional. 
Depression is a serious, but treatable illness. Don’t let the lies depression tells you to make you think it isn’t. There is always help. There is always hope. 
I decided to make this post because sometimes it is easy to forget there are several pathways for healing. It is never one option that fits all and that is okay. Sometimes it is a combination of things that are needed, sometimes it takes a few trials and errors to find out what suits you and your experiences. Healing takes patience sometimes, and that's hard. Knowing your options can make it less overwhelming.