There is a common misconception that if you love yourself, you’re self-obsessed, which is far from true because the two terms have two completely different meanings.

Self-love is when you accept yourself for who you are and are happy in your own body and space. Self love is when you realise that your mistakes don’t define you. They correct you. They educate you. They build you. Accepting yourself after you’ve made a mistake is what self-love is all about.

Self-love is about you taking care of yourself. It’s about protecting yourself from harm and damage. It’s about being there for yourself, being your own friend and pulling yourself out of misery created by your own mind.

Self-love is about being comfortable in your own skin, accepting your flaws, imperfections and embracing them truly. Pampering yourself like you want to be pampered, saying nice things to yourself that you want to hear, and treating yourself like you would want to be treated by others is what self-love is all about.

It’s about knowing your worth and not letting yourself be crumbled and crushed under somebody’s influence. It’s about you standing up for yourself and claiming what is rightfully yours. It is about protecting yourself from injustice and inequality.

Self-love is all about knowing your capabilities and using them to the fullest. It’s about pushing and motivating yourself to achieve your dreams. It’s about knowing what you want in life and working towards it. It’s about being okay with yourself even if you don’t know what you’re looking for.
Self love is about you going easy on yourself.

Self-obsession, on the other hand, means that you think you are too good for everybody. It means thinking the world revolves around you and everyone should think the way you do and work the way you decide.

Self-obsession is about not seeing your flaws, let alone accepting them. It’s about not realizing your mistakes in the first place. It means not caring about other people’s feelings and only worrying about your own.

That’s what the difference between self-love and self-obsession is. It’s pretty clear and apparent, right? So here’s the bottom line. Self-love will teach you how to be a happy person. Self-obsession will teach you to be happy only with yourself. That’s the difference.