If there is no you, there can be no us. Smart lovers understand the fact that the most important thing you can do for your lover, as well as your love life, is to TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. Simple as this may sound, self-neglect has become a common attribute of many modern relationships. Many people lose track of who they are, all in the name of love, and end up being an impoverished shadow of who they were meant to be in life. This ought not to be so. Any love that makes you bitter instead of better can’t be the accurate choice of the creator for you.
You might not be able to force your partner to take care of you, but at least you can take care of yourself. One strategic benefit of taking care of yourself is that, if you maintain your dignity and value as an individual by taking good care of yourself, you stand a better chance of securing future love prospects, in case the one you are with messes up. There are three dimensions of self-care that I will address here:
TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY. Your body is the vessel for the conveyance of your identity in social interactions. Neglect it to your own peril. It is not uncommon to see chauvinistic men, who reduce their wives to nothing by excessive regimentation of their lives, as well as their bodies. It is a crime for these unfortunate wives to look good, feel good or even smell good. The painful thing is that these same men whose wives aren’t permitted the slightest opportunity for body care and enhancement, end up chasing after the finest ladies in town. Taking care of your body will require the combination of eating right, resting right, and exercising right just to mention but a few. Please by all means take good care of your body, it is one of the most vital social assets at your disposal.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR MIND. One writer got it right when he said “The mind is a terrible thing to waste”. One of the most common causes of relational breakdown is intellectual inequality. This condition arises when the rate of intellectual appreciation of a partner outstrips that of their companion. The outcome of this is usually a breakdown in communication altogether. They seldom have anything to discuss together because of the magnitude of the intellectual differential between them. This is why we all must submit to a rigorous program of intellectual development. This would include the exploration of books, courses, degrees, seminars, audiovisuals and the likes, to ensure that you are both at par mentally.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR SPIRIT. It is blindness for a person not to recognize that there is a spiritual dimension to love and life. The neglect of the spirit has led to many emotional shipwrecks. Most couples aren’t spiritually equipped to deal with the spiritual side of the love equation, their spirits are too weak to prevail. To overcome this inadequacy, we must all learn to nourish our spirits. Three ways that this can be done are through prayers, assimilation of sacred texts and the practice of spiritual virtues. On a personal level, the study and the practice of the Bible, have nourished my spiritual side significantly over the years.
This holistic approach to self-care is proof of the love you have for yourself and it will ensure that you keep being a valuable person both to your loved ones personally and to the world at large. This meticulous care for yourself is the most important thing you can do for your love life.
THE GREATEST IS LOVE
