Self-love Tips
How do I love myself?
Commit to your own wellbeing as a long-term investment. Self-love is not a one-off activity for just when you’re feeling stressed to the eyeballs. Self-love is a choice you continue to make in each and every moment.
Get enough sleep. Your mind, body and spirit need adequate rest to recharge and rejuvenate. Ensure you are hydrated and eating healthy foods. No-one can function properly if they are feeling tired and run-down.
Nourish your body with healthy fresh food that you enjoy. Food is one of life’s greatest pleasures and a vital way for you to nurture yourself. Focus on being healthy, rather than fixating on size. Your body shape and size is unique to YOU. Let go of pointless comparisons with anyone else about what you ’should’ look like. Celebrate being YOU. It’s impossible to be anyone else!
Notice your inner critic. Would you talk to your friends the way you talk to yourself? Imagine if you said to your best friend ‘you look terrible, look at those bags under your eyes. Your skin looks dreadful and you could do with shedding a few kilos off that fat arse.’ Some friend huh! Yet we speak to ourselves in this derogatory tone regulary. What thoughts go through your head when cleaning your teeth? Notice. Start to observe when negative thoughts come into your mind….. without believing them. Treat them as indicators from a part of you that is merely needing some compassion. Train your mind to shift its perception. Affirmations can be useful to break up a train of thoughts that may not be heading in a good direction. Derail that negativity and create a new healthy habit.
Be conscious of the choices that you are making. Are your decisions for your highest good? Notice if your body feels contracted or expansive and relaxed, when making a decision. Are you honouring your feelings or doing something because you think you ‘should’. Reduce ‘shoulds’ from your vocabulary and replace them with “I choose” and feel the difference in your body.
Demonstrate to others how you want to be treated. This is about having healthy boundaries and saying “NO” when it’s appropriate. Show a little self-respect and you will notice it being reflected back to you. Why should anyone take your feelings into consideration if you can’t manage this for yourself?
