5 Ways Men Can Love Themselves Better
When I did my self-love workshop back in March, a couple of my guy friends came through and I learned something interesting: Men really don't discuss self-love nor are they taught how to have love for themselves. This self-love phenomenon is primarily preached to women, meanwhile men just kinda slip through the cracks.That's not fair to me. I think both men and women need to commit to loving themselves better but the onus always falls on women. Nobody can do the work for you, you have to learn how to do the work yourself.Here's 5 ways you can love yourself better, King.
5. Clip Those Nasty Ass Fingernails
I'll give it to you straight: There is nothing more disgusting than a guy with nasty ass fingernails who always wants to stick his fingers inside of you. CLIP. THOSE. SHITS!One time I dated a guy who kept his fingernails long so he could break down a blunt better and whew chile, the the yeast infections. While we love men who work with their hands, we also love men who take care of their hands too. Wash them, clip them, hell go get a manicure if you feel so inclined. Nobody has time to be going to the doctor just because you think it's okay to have backwoods, flamin' hot, and dirt residue underneath your nails.
Clip yo shit dawg.
4. Do Some Exercise
I'm no fitness guru at all (hell, I wanna cancel my gym membership RIGHT NOW), but I think a great way to show that you love yourself is when you take care of your body. I've discovered that not only does working out help with stamina during sex (because let's be honest, y'all should not be 27 doing the same three positions and finished in 20 minutes) but when you look good....you feel good. Can't afford a gym membership? No worries! Youtube has a bunch of at home workouts you can do.
Take care of your body King.
3. Be Mindful of What You Consume
And I'm not just talking about food here. Evaluate who's around you. Evaluate what you are listening to. What are you reading? What messages about life, women, money, self development, etc are being preached to you? How much time do you spend on social media vs the time that you spend with yourself? Your mind is so important, watch what you put in it.
2. Honor Your Emotions
This is tricky territory because most men think that being a man and being emotionally competent just don't mix. When y'all are allowed to express emotions, society has said that the only ones that are acceptable are anger or violence. I'm here to tell you that it is okay to feel shit. Misogyny and patriarchy has been embedded in all of us to say that when you express yourself, it means that you are soft, you a bitch, or God forbid, you're gay... *eye roll*Then you become this sort of robot. You got all these walls built up. You have issues communicating in your partnerships you have with women, because some women (actually, a lot of us) have internalized misogyny and the moment you open up your mouth, some women will accuse you of being over emotional. To me, there's no such thing as being over emotional but there is such thing as not properly handling your emotions.I say all this to say: Take the time to self reflect so you can become self aware. I don't care where you start, just start. After a while, we become too old to chalk up character flaws as "this is just how I am."Do the work, even if it's hard... that's one of the ways you know you truly love yourself.
1. Get Tested
I am a firm believer that when you truly love yourself, you take care of your body.I don't understand that how, in the year of 2018, there are so many men who don't know their STD status. Is ignorance truly bliss? Every sexually active male on this earth needs to have a standard check up every three months. Even if you are in a monogamous relationship, you AND your partner should be getting tested. For example, does your lady constantly get UTI's, yeast infections, or BV? Then it HAS to be something about you that's knocking her PH level off. Go to the doctor bro. I understand that there is a stigma surrounding STD's and honestly sex education in America is trash but STILL. GO TO THE DOCTOR BRO.
- WHEN YOU CATCH A NEW BODY, GO.
- WHEN YOU GO BACK TO AN OLD BODY GO.
Sure, you can use condoms and what not, but to be honest, a lot of y'all don't AND I'm pretty sure you're not giving or receiving oral sex with dental dams and condoms on. Or did y'all forget that sexally transmitted infections can get passed orally as well?Also, it's not really about the number of sexual partners you have anymore, but it is about the number of risky behaviors you engage in. A lot of men are asymptomatic, which means even if you have something like chlamydia, gonorrhea, etc, the shit won't show up! You can catch something from a sexual encounter you had with someone three months ago, not know it and pass it on to a new partner three months later.It is SO important to get tested. At least every three months Kings.Uninsured? Well look, google the nearest free or reduced public health clinic in your area. I know for a fact that Planned Parenthood services men and some other clinics out here have free testing days.You know you truly love yourself when you prioritize you and your partner's sexual health. If you are currently fucking someone who feels a type of way when you ask them to go get tested, that's a clear sign that you shouldn't be fucking them.
Moral of the story, go get tested Kings!
I hope you all enjoyed my 5 tips but in no way is this list exhaustive! If you have something to add, please comment below!
Love,
Kia ♥