Show yourself some love this Valentine’s Day – photo story
Three of the young leaders of Generation Future tell us why it’s important to show yourself love and how they boost their own self-esteem
When we think of Valentine’s Day, most of us think of couples having romantic dinners or giving each other gifts. But at UNICEF Cambodia we believe it can also be an opportunity for everyone – especially children and young people – to show some love for themselves and invest some time and energy in their own mental health.
For four years, UNICEF has run its #LoveMyself campaign in partnership with megastars BTS, trying to help young people improve their wellbeing and self-esteem. In Cambodia, our #IFeelBetterWhen campaign featured young people talking about how art, sport and other activities helped boost their mental health. This Valentine’s Day we are bringing these campaigns together to ask three of our Generation Future leaders why showing yourself love is important and how they put this into practice. Taking care of yourself is not selfish, it's essential, and helps you gain the strength to help others.
“Make a special day for yourself on Valentine’s Day, take this opportunity to care for yourself more. It can be challenging, because a lot of the time we try to care for other people and forget about ourselves, but it’s important. My way of showing love for myself is by playing football. Football is what sets me free!”
“It’s so important to look after yourself and make sure you have enough strength to achieve what you want. My passion for gardening, nature and good nutrition are a reminder to me to take care of myself. Humans are a little bit like plants, we require proper care and attention! When I am surrounded by nature it brightens my own day.”
“It can seem hard to love and accept yourself in this social media world where there’s pressure to be perfect. To truly love yourself you have to accept all parts of yourself, and appreciate both your strengths and flaws. One way of doing it is to send a message or talk to someone you love, someone who can help you understand yourself better.”
