We all need to love and be loved, yet fulfilling this primary need can be one of life's greatest challenges. Creating loving and lasting relationships is a necessity if we are to maintain psychological health. But finding and sustaining loving relationships takes more than just good intentions, it takes skills, practice and a commitment to growing.To truly give and receive love we must learn to give without expectations and receive without demanding. This unconditional love is not just an ideal but something we can realize through practice. The secret to developing this skill is learning to love yourself. As you grow in self-love, your ability to give and receive love will grow automatically.
Unconditional love is realized when our hearts are full and overflowing. It is easy to love unconditionally when we are feeling positive and loved by others. It becomes difficult when we are feeling negative and unloved. At such times, when it is difficult to receive love and support from outside we must turn inside and give to ourselves. Then when we are feeling good about ourselves, it is not only easier to give but it becomes easier to communicate and negotiate the fulfillment of our own needs and wants. We become like a magnet which attracts more support.
Most of all you must learn to love yourself which is the greatest love of all.
- Harold H. Bloomfield, M.D.
