Sheila Morataya, Catholic writer and psychotherapist, explains the difference between terms like “self-love” and right love of oneself, concepts that often seem to be confused, and assures that “God is the true source of self-esteem.”
In an interview broadcast by Holydemia, Morataya highlights that human beings “need to be loved in order to love ourselves. Feeling looked at with love makes us aware of our dignity.”
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Furthermore, he specified, “there is a relationship between the attitude towards ourselves and the quality of our love for others. To live in peace with those around us, we must first live in peace with ourselves.”
“Nothing separates us more from other people than being dissatisfied with oneself. It is known from experience that the greatest critics are those who have developed a hostile attitude toward themselves.”
“It is not easy to support others at times when one cannot support oneself. Nothing helps us value ourselves as much as experiencing unconditional love, which comes from the arms and gaze of mom and dad,” she highlighted.
Self-esteem and sense of dignity
Sheila Morataya indicated that self-esteem “is a psychological term, so it is experienced as a feeling: I feel that I am worth it, I feel that I love myself, I feel that I am important.” On the other hand, she specified that “the sense of dignity belongs to the spiritual sphere. There is someone much greater than me, who loved me and created me. The person does not have to achieve anything or become successful. He is at peace and calm just as he is because he knows he is loved by God. This is what dignifies us.”
“In this sense, God is the true source of self-esteem. This leads us to create and know how to use the term humble self-esteem because humility needs a complement of dignity,” he stressed.
Right self-love vs. self love”
The expert specified that “right love for oneself is rooted in the deep conviction of being a beloved child of God. This is me and not someone else. I possess these physical, intellectual and spiritual qualities. It’s wonderful to be me. “I love myself just the way I am.”
On the other hand, he warned, “self-love breeds susceptibility. He resents what he thinks has been done to him. “He is selfish and proud.”
These topics, he highlighted, are part of the online course that he currently teaches through Holydemia, titled Love yourself just the way you are.
David Ramos
Graduated in Communication Sciences from the Universidad Privada del Norte in Trujillo, Peru. With more than 12 years of experience in Catholic journalism working at ACI Prensa, I have been based in Mexico since 2018. I have covered Pope Francis’ trips to Ecuador, Paraguay, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Panama.