You must love yourself. The reasons you have for not loving

Host: The room feels calm, with the fading light of the evening gently casting long shadows across the floor. The world outside continues its steady hum, but inside, there’s a peaceful energy in the air. Jeeny sits at the table, her fingers resting lightly on a mug, her gaze distant, clearly lost in thought. Jack stands near the window, arms crossed, watching the world below, his expression thoughtful.

Jeeny: (her voice gentle, yet filled with curiosity) “You ever think about how hard it can be to love yourself? How so many of us seem to have these inner narratives, these reasons why we shouldn’t love who we are, even though they’re not rooted in reality?”

Jack: (glancing at her, his voice dry, but intrigued) “Loving yourself? Yeah, that’s a tough one. We’re so used to questioning ourselves, doubting our worth. But what do you mean by ‘false allegations’?”

Jeeny: (nodding slowly, a small smile forming as she shares her thought) “I was reading something by Simon Amstell, and he said, ‘You must love yourself. The reasons you have for not loving yourself, you have made up. Interrogate these false allegations until the beauty of your true self emerges.’ It made me think about how we often create these false narratives in our heads, stories about why we’re not worthy of love or why we’re not good enough. But those reasons aren’t real. They’re things we’ve made up, based on fear or past experiences, not on truth.”

Jack: (pauses, his brow furrowing as he processes her words) “So, he’s saying that the reasons we don’t love ourselves are just stories we’ve convinced ourselves are true, and that by questioning these stories, we can uncover our real value? That we have to challenge these negative beliefs we hold about ourselves?”

Jeeny: (smiling more deeply now, her voice steady, almost encouraging) “Exactly. It’s about realizing that those feelings of inadequacy, those doubts, are not inherent truths—they’re false allegations we’ve internalized. Once we start to interrogate those beliefs, to ask ourselves where they come from and whether they’re really true, we can begin to see the beauty and worth that has always been inside us.”

Host: Jeeny’s words seem to hang in the air, a quiet invitation to reflect on the internal narratives we carry. Jack stands still, his expression softening as he reflects on the idea that many of the beliefs we hold about ourselves may not be rooted in reality. The world outside continues, but inside, the conversation feels rooted in a deeper understanding of self-love and the power of questioning negative beliefs.

Jack: (his voice quieter now, almost reflective) “I see what he means now. We let these stories control how we see ourselves, and they shape our lives without us even realizing it. But by challenging them, by questioning where they come from, we can start to uncover the truth—about who we are and what we deserve.”

Jeeny: (nodding, her eyes steady and thoughtful) “Exactly. It’s about unraveling those layers of self-doubt and criticism, and realizing that the truth of who we are isn’t defined by those stories. When we begin to truly see ourselves—without the false narratives—we can finally love the person we’ve always been.”

Jack: (pauses, a small smile forming on his face as the idea settles in) “It’s empowering, isn’t it? Realizing that we have the power to rewrite the stories we tell ourselves. That the things we believe about ourselves don’t have to define us. We can choose to see our value, to love ourselves for who we truly are.”

Jeeny: (smiling warmly, her voice filled with calm, yet quiet strength) “Exactly. Self-love starts with questioning the lies we’ve been told, whether by others or by ourselves. And once we do, we can step into the truth of our own beauty, worth, and potential.”

Host: The room feels lighter now, the weight of the conversation settling into something empowering. Jack turns from the window, his posture more relaxed, his thoughts clearly processing the idea that the key to self-love lies in challenging the false beliefs we hold about ourselves. Jeeny watches him, content in the understanding that sometimes, the most important journey is the one we take inward, where we learn to let go of the stories that no longer serve us and embrace the truth of who we are. The world outside continues its rhythm, but inside, there’s a shared understanding that the key to self-love is in the courage to confront and change the narratives we’ve created about ourselves.