What's Love Got to do With it?: The Beauty & Importance of Self-Love, Identity, & Acceptance

By: Nevaeh Kyra Sydney Olivia Fuse

Isleta Pueblo

Fig 1. Fuse, Nevaeh. "I try on adult-boots." 14 June 2014. Author's personal collection.

Fig 2. “Pueblo of Isleta Flag.” Infobase, Facts On File. American Indian History, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=18626&itemid=WE43&iid=244849. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

Fig 3. "Cap & Gown Portrait" 23 January 2026. Author's personal collection.

PERSONAL CONNECTION

How Does This Resonate With me?

There aren't enough people in my community to model self-care behavior to the younger generation due to a lack of self-awareness. In my youth, some in my community have acted out in jealousy and hatred towards others. Not realizing the effects their behaviors might have on the younger ones.

Because of that, I was robbed of having not many family members to watch me grow up as I should have. Additionally, as I grew older, I started to have negative thoughts. I developed anxiety, and became less confident in myself.

I hope to make that connection to why having self-love is essential for our emotional and physical well-being. If we feel negative about ourselves, we often treat others unfairly. I have seen that in my community. I picked this topic to not just focus on my own journey to self-love and happiness, but for others who aren’t quite there yet.

IDENTITY

Fig 4. Fuse, Nevaeh. “A Gloom Sunset.” 11 September, 2025. Author’s personal collection

"Sharing One Skin" Jeanette Armstrong

In the article "Sharing One Skin" author Jeanette Armstrong talks about how every person is born into a community or multiple communities. Individually we all have a position, responsibility, and role(s). As Okanagan's they each have a strong connection to the land. They are living, dreaming, Earth pieces. While we might all be from different areas, we are all tied to one another through blood, land, and dream. Therefore, we all have a right to not be "heartless" to each other and care for one another within the community we have built.

My interpretation of this article is that the community ties and connections we are born into are inescapable. We can either choose to strengthen our connections to our people and land to make a change, or we can continue to normalize violence and heinous things taking place in our community. Oftentimes things that young generations have to witness. We all play a role and we all have to watch our lands suffer. It is important that day by day we encourage each other to shift away from this, so we never forget who we are or what makes us who we are.

Armstrong, Jeanette. 1996 “Sharing One Skin: The Okanagan Community.” Pp. 460-470 in Jenny Mander and Edward Goldsmith (eds.), The Case Against the Global Economy, San Francisco, CA: Sierra Club Books.

"And then I went to school" Joe Suina

In the article "And then I went to school" author Joe Suina is reflecting back on his school experiences at a young age. He talks about how he was forced to leave his Indigenous ways. When he was a young boy, his grandmother taught him his language and traditions, and he was used to this way of living. It became a big part of who he was. When he started school, he noticed his teacher did not look like him, or approve of his Native identity. He soon started to get self-conscious and convinced himself to be like any other white man. He had to make sense of both worlds in the pueblo and outside of the pueblo. He had to navigate and differentiate both worlds.

I thought this was a very sad article. It was sad that his school and teachers stipped him of his innocence and Native ways. He was so happy and content with who he was and his culture, but going to school made him feel unsure and question who he wanted to be after all. Did he want to be like the white men? Or did he want to be like the Indigenous men? As soon as he got home from school and saw his family, he knew who he was in his heart. That is what mattered the most.

Suina, Joe. (!985). And then I went to School: Memories of a Pueblo Childhood. New Mexico Journal of Reading, 5(2).

Fig 5. Fuse, Nevaeh. "At School." 23 October, 2025. Author's personal collection.

Fig 6. Fuse, Nevaeh. "Nice Nature." 23 October, 2025. Author's personal connection.

"How place names impact the way we see landscape" B. Toastie

The article "How place names impact the way we see landscape" by B. Toastie was about how the names of certain Indigenous landscapes and places, plays a part in how we identify with those places. These landscape names have stories and history associated with them. When we let others colonize those places and rename them, we start to lose that Indigenous identity that we have connected to these places and landscapes. It's like we are taking away from our culture.

My interpretation of this article is that pretty much every Indigenous landscape/place has a name that signifies something truly important to our culture and history. As people start renaming these places with a name that has no importance or meaning, we start to lose the importance of these names. We also start to slowly lose some of our culture with it. These names are sacred, and we have to hold them sacred to us and our ways of living. Even in our own names too.

Oaster, B. ‘Toastie,’ and B. ‘Toastie’ Oaster. “How Place Names Impact the Way We See Landscape.” High Country News, 24 Jan. 2024, www.hcn.org/issues/54.5/people-places-how-place-names-impact-the-way-we-see-landscape/print_view.

HISTORY

Fig 7 “Aristotle’s Theory of Friendship and Its Ethical Significance ...” www.google.com, share.google/images/q0x3ySZZkt9p0cYOb. Accessed 24 October, 2025.

"Why Self-Love is Important and how to Cultivate it" Rebecca Zukauskas

The article "Why Self-Love is Important and how to Cultivate it" by Rebecca Zukauskas is about self-love, its importance, and its historical roots. In the article it is defined as the practice of recognizing, accepting, and valuing oneself. Philosophers like Aristotle, and psychologists such as, Erich Fromm have researched the development of self-love over time. They each have different beliefs and studies about it. The contributions of these individuals has significantly impacted the definition of self-love and how it is looked at today.

My interpretation of this article is that while there is only one literal definition of self-love, it is viewed differently by everyone, and each person practices it differently. While in history there have been philosophers and psychologists who've researched about it, it still continues to develop and new discoveries are made about self-love today. In an era of social media, people tend to lose sight of themselves and their worth. This can lead to bigger problems in the long-run. So we should practice it, because it isn't selfish to take care of ourselves.

“Self-love | Research Starters | EBSCO Research.” EBSCO, www.ebsco.com/research-starters/social-sciences-and-humanities/self-love.

Fig 8. “Historical Trauma.” www.google.com, share.google/images/RJeatdf03lM1Jvedg.

"How Historical Trauma Impacts Native Americans Today" George Vana & Dakota Lane

The article "How Historical Trauma Impacts Native Americans Today" by George Vana and Dakota Lane is about the past of Indigenous boarding schools. It talks about the impacts that it had on our people back then, and our people today. The historical trauma associated with Indian boarding schools has led to generational trauma and psychological and emotional harm. In a memory that Secretary, Deb Haaland, wrote, she notes that the legacy of Indian boarding schools remains today.

My interpretation of this article is that it was very informative regarding the history of Indian boarding schools. Many studies have been conducted about historical traumas that Native's have had to endure that impacted who they are today, One of the biggest events being the Indian Boarding School Era mentioned in the article, which lasted from the 19th century to the 20th century. Children ages 5-18 were forcibly removed from their homes and reservations to be assimilated and colonized at these schools. This contributed to a lot of problems in Native communities today such as, alcoholism, abuse, violence, etc.

How Historical Trauma Impacts Native Americans Today. www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/how-historical-trauma-impacts-native-americans.

Fig 9 “Amazon.com: Killing the Wittigo: Indigenous Culture-Based ...” www.google.com, share.google/images/Kb48wCIGh4O3IoP1R.

"Killing the Wittigo" Suzanne Methot

Chapters 1 & 2 of the book titled, "Killing the Wittigo" by Suzanne Methot are about the past of colonization. While also touching base on other events that have taken place in Native American history that have played a part in our identities'. The end of chapter 1 talks a lot about how the Europeans began to colonize the Americas and following that a lot of historical trauma occurred. Chapter 2 gets more in detail by mentioning certain dates of events that have happened.

My interpretation of the first two chapters of this book was that it had great detail and went very in-depth about the history of Native's. Reading these chapters touched me a little bit. I found the chapters quite melancholic when reading about everything that got taken from us in the past, and how that has affected our lives'. We have all had to deal with the aftermath of our history. You really develop a sense of gratitude because the goal was to kill us all, but we are still here. Our ancestor's didn't have that belonging or identity but they still fought for US to have the life that they didn't. That's pretty brave and cool. This book can teach someone a lot about the importance of identity.

Methot, Suzanne, killing the wittigo: Indigenous culture-based approaches to waking up, taking action, and doing the work of healing: A book for young adults, ECW Press, 2023.

CURRENT STATE OF THE ISSUE

FIg 10. “Dear Therapist: How Do I Cope With Lack of Self-esteem From ...” www.google.com, share.google/3k4eu8INHwMDuRHTP. Accessed 21 January 2026.

Trauma & Self-Identity: Rebuilding Self-Esteem and Self-Worth After Trauma

This first article I looked at talks about the many effects of trauma in a therapist’s perspective. The therapist touched on the fact that it is important to address early traumatic experiences especially if it is affecting our day to day lives. Some people view their trauma as normal because they got used to it. She also points out that trauma, low self-esteem, and low self-worth can be a package deal.

Trauma and Self-Identity: Rebuilding Self-Esteem After Trauma. www.traumaspecialiststraining.com/blog/self-esteem%20and%20self-worth%20after%20trauma.

Self and Interpersonal Communication

The next article I looked at talked a lot about how effectively we communicate with others can affect our self-esteem. Sense of self and interpersonal communication are deeply connected. Our inner talk (intrapersonal) shapes our self-concept, while how we communicate with others (interpersonal) reflects and reinforces it, with positive self-talk and healthy interactions boosting self-love by validating our worth. While poor communication e.g. avoiding communicating about needs, negative self-talk, and even negative communication ruins self-esteem and worth.

Sampathirao, Prabhakararao. “Self and Interpersonal Communication.” International Journal of Indian Psychology, vol. 3, no. 3, June 2016, https://doi.org/10.25215/0303.086.

FIg 11. “Communication Is Important in All Families.” www.google.com, share.google/zEHP7Ickozzo2lm49. Accessed 21 January 2026.

GLOBAL CONNECTIONS

Fig 12. “Shinrin-yoku (Forest Bathing) in Japan | Rakuten Travel.” travel.rakuten.com, share.google/wgGfCdoNRwjnGBJ5P. Accessed 12 March 2026.

Fig 13. “Wabi Sabi: The Best Natural Japanese Aesthetic - Sakuraco.” sakura.co, share.google/TC6ez9mRNCbXVS3k2.

Japan

Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) - A Japanese practice about immersing yourself in nature to refresh your mind, body, and spirit. Simple, yet powerful.

“On Earth Day: Discover Benefits of Shinrin-yoku.” UCLA Health, 18 Apr. 2025, www.uclahealth.org/news/article/earth-day-discover-benefits-shinrin-yoku-japanese-inspired.

Wabi-sabi - A Japanese philosophy in finding beauty knowing nothing is perfect, permanent or complete. Accepting everything as unique and authentic as it is.

Dayman, Lucy. “Wabi-Sabi: The Japanese Philosophy of Embracing Imperfectionism.” Savvy Tokyo, 1 Nov. 2024, savvytokyo.com/wabi-sabi-the-japanese-philosophy-of-embracing-imperfectionism.

Fig 14. “12 Powerful Ayurvedic Herbs and Spices With Health Benefits.” www.healthline.com, share.google/rfc842zNjR7iZetHo.

India & Nepal

Ayurveda - is a whole-body (holistic) system of medicine that began in India more than 3,000 years ago. Ayurveda means the study of life. It takes a natural approach to all aspects of health and well-being. The focus of Ayurveda is to remove toxins from within the body, decrease diseases, and reduce stress.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/ayurveda

Fig 15. “Sharing Aloha – Acacia Creek.” acaciacreek.org, share.google/cjj7qiWdJJfruwiOH.

Ho'oponopono

Ho'oponopono is a centuries-old native Hawaiian method of apology and forgiveness still practiced by many. The four steps in ho'oponopono are remorse, forgiveness, gratitude, and love. Ho'oponopono can be used in person or over the phone—or even if the other person has passed away. If the relationship is irreparable, ho'oponopono can still happen internally.

Zimbardo, Rosemary K. M. Sword and Philip, PhD. “An Ancient Method of Forgiveness Can Help Heal Relationships.” Psychology Today, 21 Nov. 2021, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-time-cure/202111/hooponopono-to-make-things-right.

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