We speak of self-love as if it is a final destination.
But self-love is not a ritual, a bubble bath, a mantra in gold font.

Self-love without truth is another disguise.
Another performance. Another way to survive.

You can love yourself and still:
– Perform for approval.
– Stay in lives that no longer fit.
– Wear masks so beautiful, even you forget who you are underneath.

True self-love begins where pretending ends.

It is not loud.
It is not always pretty.
It is not always strong.

Sometimes it is this:
“I am tired of being someone I’m not.”
“I want joy, not applause.”
“I am willing to disappoint the world to be true to my soul.”

You don’t need to love yourself more.
You need to meet yourself deeper.

Because only when you become yourself—fully, freely, fiercely—
will love stop being an effort, and start being a state of being.

This is not about being happy.
This is about being *real.*
And that, beloved, is the most radical kind of love there is.