Self-love encompasses every level of our being—the physical, emotional, and spiritual. And because it encompasses every level, it can be a challenge to stay in its balance. Our life experiences can produce emotional issues that, if not addressed, can block us from staying in that physical, emotional, and spiritual balance.

It is important to pay attention to the inner work of loving oneself. If we ignore the work, the issues pile up like a basket of dirty laundry. And if that laundry gets thrown in the closet, the clothes will start to mildew and soil. Sometimes the soil leaves stains and the clothes can become permanently damaged. If we liken the dirty clothes to our unresolved issues, if we ignore them and tuck them away in our psyche, they can cause disturbances to our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. In other words, if we neglect the laundry, if we neglect our inner work—our self-love—it can manifest in ways resulting in a dis-ease to our system. The imbalances stop us from experiencing our life to its fullest. Don’t ignore the dirty laundry—especially if it begins to piles up.

When we are in balance and in a state of self-love, we are fulfilled, we are happy. Take a moment to think about the times you’ve worked hard on a goal and then think about how you felt when you accomplished it. You felt good, perhaps you even felt elated and proud to have completed the challenge. It is the same when you continue to work on self-love. You feel good about yourself on every level—the physical, emotional and spiritual.

Hopefully we are always building upon our foundation of self-love. As we build, we find ourselves better equipped to deal with life’s challenges—a life-long process that shapes who we are.