Self Respect

Holding something or someone in high regard.  Admire (someone or something) deeply, as a result of their abilities, qualities or achievements.  Pretty easy to understand when it is about having respect for something outside of ourselves.  But, what about respect for ourselves?  For our commitments?  Our personal values?  Our limits?  We have all heard the question either directed at us or toward someone else..*Don't you have any self respect?*  Then there is the ever popular statement, *Respect is earned.*  What does any of that actually mean when we apply it to ourselves?

Self respect - believing you are good and worthy of being treated well.  Being proud of who you are even with the mistakes from the past.  Believing you are a good person.  It can mean not using drugs, alcohol or violence to solve your problems.  Having dignity, a *proper* amount of pride and self respect.  These statements are all parts of definitions that can be found on the web about self respect.   

                                What does it mean to us personally?

Where do we each fall in the self respect scale?  Can self respect or the amount of respect, be different in different areas of our lives?  Is self respect dependent on personal circumstances?

These are all questions that I have asked myself.  In my life I know that self esteem and self respect are closely related.  How I feel about myself at any given moment doesn't necessarily lower or raise my respect for myself.  I do understand though that sometimes depression plays in and lowers both of these.  Something as simple as taking care of myself (bathing, brushing my teeth, getting dressed) can fall by the way side for a little bit.  I see that as a lack of self respect.  When depression takes over and a basic need gets dropped, I see it as disrespect.  Why does it seem so easy sometimes to stop respecting ourselves?  We do need to recognize that we are worth the time and effort.  When self esteem is low, it is too easy to let self respect fall.