Love, have you experienced it, what does it mean to you?

How do you think you've been loved in your life and how do you think you've shown love --- If you think of some of your earliest experiences you might find a cuddle, comment or smile that stays with you and brings you contentment --- But what if you didn't get this experience, what if you don't think you received love?

To receive love and to give love are two sometimes mutually exclusive things --- Some or most of the time you can be stuck in a pattern where you give love in the way you want to receive it and you wonder why it doesn't mean more to the other person or persons --- This can go on for a long time and leave a great void or emptiness --- It could be that you don't know how to receive love yourself let alone giving love to someone else --- A way of looking at this first could be about what is important to you when receiving love --- can you offer yourself love? --- Do you really ever sit down and think do I love myself do I accept myself?

Part of gaining self-awareness can be the knowledge that some of the things that you are hard on yourself about are not to do with you but learned behaviours, coping mechanisms, or values that you have taken on --- When these are uncovered there can be a greater appreciation of you and a pathway to kindness that you haven't offered yourself up to this point --- Gaining a new appreciation for yourself can lessen the impact of other things in your life as you have a new faith or trust in you --- Where are you currently with love in your life?