“And in that moment, right there, sitting at the edge of my bed I decided it was enough. I had to change my life. My own life. Not someone else's. I had no choice but to save myself. I was so ready and so scared at the same time.”
- Floor op den Akker, mom was right all along - (Mama had toch gelijk)
About me
Above is an excerpt from the book I have written about my story relating to self-love ( or better yet, the lack of it). In that particular time of my life I was completely lost. Totally disconnected from myself, from my own love and my own sense of self worth. So badly that I could not see the difference between true love and the toxic version. I was physically and mentally drained and years later I realised: I had no idea how to love myself. In fact, I wasn’t even aware I could give this to myself.
I felt I wanted to change my situation. I had to overcome a major depression and looking back I am so grateful for this dark period. I considered my depression a BREAKTHROUGH and not a BREAKDOWN.
I started to heal myself with the help of a psychotherapist together with a life-coach. Both gave me the tools I needed to start my self-love journey.
I realized in that time that I needed to start cultivating and nourishing the single most important relationship of my life: the one with myself. I had to un-learn a lot of things that were not healthy for me. I wanted to overcome limiting beliefs and basically create a new identity; the TRUE identity of me, Floor (or Flora in Italy) and
During this journey I used a tool that helped me to see myself in a way I never saw myself before: my beloved camera.
It took some practice but I succeeded in truly seeing MYSELF through the photos I took of me. The parts I loved as well as my flaws, my imperfections, my all basically. In that moment I discovered my own inner & outer beauty and somehow I learned to appreciate and accept myself.