I asked some of my closest friends about what their own definition of self-love is.

For Jan, self-love is about "giving importance to one's total well-being by constantly practicing self-care habits, particularly ensuring proper hygiene and grooming that will give you enough confidence to present yourself."

Maria, on the other hand, considers self-love as "taking care of yourself, your well-being and happiness." She also likes doing facials "because it is therapeutic and makes me feel alive and confident."

Finally, Moreen practices self-love by "engaging in activities that bring you joy… that nurtures your mind, body and soul," as well as "cultivating a positive inner dialogue. It means replacing self-criticism and negative self-talk with self-encouragement and positive affirmations."

It really does pay to have a genuine kind of self-love. I say this because all of the aforementioned people are some of the most confident and self-assured individuals that I know.

I wasn't one to really consider this act. I thought I was already loving myself because I'm happy and the people around me are happy as well. But really, life has a funny way of making us realize things.

Now that I was forcefully schooled by life, I picked up a couple of things: (1) Self-love shouldn't be solely based on other people's emotions. Rather, it should be of your own. (2) It's okay — it's best, really — to put yourself first above everything else. (3) Be wary of false encouragements, especially from people you thought had your best interest in mind. (4) Don't fall for the words and actions of people who will shame you for doing what you have to do in order to have peace of mind.