I wrote the above without direct references to scripture in order to offer a broader perspective that speaks in less dogmatic terms. However, I believe everything I've written is borne out by scripture.

In regards to your comment, a very noteworthy point - You remembered, but not completely:

e.g Mark 12:30-31

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

So, there you have it. If you do not love yourself, can you love your neighbor as yourself? Obviously not.

How to love God? With all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

How to love your neighbor? As yourself.

Now, you can interpret this in a number of ways, all valid (imo).

Firstly, you must love yourself and then likewise love your neighbor in the same way.

Secondly, you can love your neighbor AS IF that neighbor is in fact you.

In other words, look at your neighbor (friend, colleague, random person in the street, any person) and see; "Gee. There goes me!" And then love that person. In doing so, you'll be loving yourself!

But either way, the scripture is to "love your neighbor as yourself". You cannot simply delete the "as yourself" part because you don't like it!!! I think the clear implication is "as (you love) yourself".

Read what I wrote again. Think about this point: We have been taught or learned all manner of untruths since we were born. Some, because those around us knew no better. Some, because our society is flooded with such untruths. But the real truth is this: that there is a true us inside, a true me that is a reflection of, and an expression of, God's own love.

Anyway, here are a few more to ponder:

Proverbs 19:8 Whoever gets sense loves his own soul; he who keeps understanding will discover good.

1 Corinthians 16:14 Let all that you do be done in love.

(so, should you think of yourself or deal with yourself or treat yourself WITHOUT love? If so, you'd be contradicting this exhortation from Paul.)

1 John 4:8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

(So, again, how do you see yourself, treat yourself, value yourself? Surely, it must be with love.)

But I think it MUST be emphasized: there are two types of love. God's love (original love) and fallen, corrupted love. Love separated from God is not love, but decadence. Therefore, in loving oneself, just as in loving others, or loving creation, or loving God even, the key point is to learn to SEE with God's eyes and God's heart, from God's perspective. Loving oneself but not from God's perspective leads to narcissism and corruption. Just like 'loving' others, but not from God's perspective, leads to the same.

"Oh, darling, please abandon your husband, your family everything, because I love you!!!!" ~ What a lie. That's NOT love. It's something else.