Audre Lorde: "I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self indulgent. Caring for myself is an act of survival."

You will begin to heal when you let go of past hurts, forgive those who have wronged you and learn to forgive yourself for your mistakes.

But I know the rage that drives you. That impossible anger strangling the grief, until the memory of your loved ones is just poison in your veins. And one day you catch yourself wishing the person you loved had never existed, so you'd be spared your pain. Your anger gives you great power, but if you let it, it will destroy you, as it almost did me... -Henri Ducard (Batman).

Honoring what you need is a form of self-love.

I would rather be alone with dignity than in a relationship that requires me to sacrifice my self respect.

Stop performing for people who never really see you.