TREAT YOURSELF LIKE SOMEONE YOU LOVE - Adam Roa

Let's be honest for a moment. If you treated your best friend the way you treat yourself, would you still be friends?

Hard luck, maybe. But most often so, no. We are usually our own harshest critics. We constantly judge ourselves, doubt our choices, and chase validation from others, swiping on apps and buying things we don’t need, in an attempt to be enough according to societal norms, all while starving ourselves of the very affection we truly deserve.

This is the reality that Adam Roa is trying to bring us back to in his inspiring TED talk. Using beautiful spoken word poetry, Roa persuades us to stop searching for the so-called ‘fix’ and start looking in the mirror. He points out the irony that we are the only person we will spend every moment of our entire existence with, yet we treat this lifelong companion with neglect. Roa’s message is simple, but it hits hard: Treat yourself like someone you love.

It may sound cliché, but think about it. When someone we love makes a mistake, we offer them patience instead of criticism. When they're burned out, we tell them to rest instead of pushing further. When they are sad, we offer them comfort and not ignorance. Roa challenges us to do the same thing for ourselves. It's not about being selfish. It's about realising that you are worthy of your own patience and care. So listen to that voice in your head today, is it tearing you down, or building you up? Because everyone deserves to be loved, especially by ourselves.

The most important relationship in your life is the relationship you have with yourself. Because no matter what happens, you will always be with yourself. - Diane von Furstenberg

Credits

Ben Joe Kuriakose

2025-2027