Ways To Invite More Self-Love Into Your Life
We are all very good at criticizing ourselves. But it is time to be kind to yourself, to start being your own best friend, to start loving yourself more. Because when you establish peace, love and kindness inside, you cannot act any other way to the outside world.
So here are a few practical ways to show yourself more love every day.
Speak Lovingly And Kindly To Yourself
Our thoughts create our life, and our inner dialogue is not an exception. And while we oftentimes are good at pointing out our flaws, judging or comparing ourselves to others, we are not nearly as good at validating ourselves.
But there are so many times every day when you do something good, something kind or something worth acknowledging yourself for.
The first step to improving the way you talk to yourself is becoming aware. Awareness is key to any transformation, because if we cannot see an issue, how can we expect to fix it?
Here is a little exercise for you: over the course of a couple of days, notice and record the quality of your thoughts. Keep a tally of as many as possible. At the end of the time period, see how you did. Bringing attention and awareness to the negative thought running through your mind will help you stop identifying with them. Or even better - whenever you catch yourself engaging in negative self-talk - flip the conversation by showing yourself love, kindness and support instead.
Practice Encouraging Affirmations
Whatever story you tell yourself, you will find evidence to it in your daily life. A way to rewire your mindset is to se uplifting and encouraging affirmations daily to infuse your life with positivity, self-love, joy and abundance.
Let’s try an exercise together.
Take a moment for yourself to get into a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Breathe deeply, inhaling through your nose, breathing into your belly, and exhaling through your mouth.
Either by gently whispering the words to yourself, saying them out loud or replaying them in your mind, repeat after me please:
𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳.
Feel the words settling into your body, as you continue.
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦.
Notice any feelings arising in your body, while you say the last affirmation.
𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴.
Let the words sink in. Feel them. And then slowly come back into the space around you and open your eyes. How did repeating these positive affirmations make you feel?
Lean Into Gratitude & Focus On Positivity
The emotional and physical benefits of a regular gratitude practice are endless. To name a few:
Expressing your gratitude can improve your overall sense of wellbeing.
Gratitude strengthens interpersonal relationships.
A focus on gratitude can increase optimism by shifting energies to more positive emotions.
The more we practice gratitude, the more positive we feel, thus the happier we are with our lives.
Start your day rooted in gratitude. Every morning, as soon as you wake up, note one thing you are grateful for at the moment, big or small. Gratitude will not only become your new default mindset, but you will be able to trace positive footsteps of your gratitude practice in all areas of your life.
For your evening routine here is another suggestion.
Have you ever heard the saying "every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day"? Take inventory of the positive moments and count your blessings in the day. Before you go to bed, note at least one great thing, big or small, about that particular day.
There is a lot to be grateful for in your life, and there are a lot of good things happening every day. The art is to notice it.
Make Space For Little Things That Make You Happy
Whether it is a cup of soothing and warming matcha latte to spend a few moments of mindfulness and self-care with, reading a few pages of your favourite book before you go to bed or going for a short walk in the middle of the day - make room for small things that make you happy during otherwise busy daily routines.
Even small self-care rituals can have a positive effect on your mental health, happiness levels and overall wellbeing. In fact, self-care does not have to be time consuming, expensive or complicated. It is all about noticing what brings you joy and carving out time for these moments among everyday routines.
Nourish Your Body, Mind And Soul From Within
The ultimate act of self-love is prioritizing taking good care of yourself inside out. Here are some things you can do to nourish your body, mind and soul:
Nourish your body from within by including a variety of fresh, whole foods into your diet, staying hydrated and limiting your intake of alcohol, caffeine and processed foods.
Move your body daily, engaging in your favourite exercise routine.
Make sure to get enough sleep, as well as get good quality sleep at night.
Practice mindfulness, whether it is a few minutes of meditation or gentle yoga stretches. It not only benefits your mental wellbeing, but your physical health too.
We have to “fill our own cup” with energy, joy and love before we can do all the things that we are here to do, create and experience with people around us.
Make Self-Love A Habit
As you go through this journey in life, make self-love your most important anchoring habit.
Loving yourself is not the same as being romantically in love. Loving yourself is about honoring yourself, your boundaries and not tolerating disrespect. It is about pushing through your mistakes, fears and doubts on your way to pursuing your growth and finding your destiny. Loving yourself is having the courage to let go of things that no longer serve you, and having the courage to follow your passions.
Self-love is actions you take and things you do, big or small, for yourself each day.
Loving and accepting yourself exactly as you are is not only the key to being happy right here and now, it is also the driving force for making any inspired changes in your life. Because when we come from a place of love and compassion, rather than a place of self-criticism, we can make any lasting changes, goals and dreams come true.