Practicing Self-Love

I have a secret to share with you. For a long time I didn’t know how to self-love. I thought I was loving myself, but in reality I wasn’t truly giving myself love every day. A dear friend of mine pointed this out to me several years ago and ever since, I have become a big proponent of doing some form of self-love on a daily basis. Believe it or not, but you are very special! There is no other person like you and you deserve to be loved by those around you, but most of all by the most important person in your life- YOU! If you find that you are not receiving the love and respect that you think you deserve, chances are good it is because you are not loving and respecting yourself.

You can’t receive this type of love if you are not giving this type of love even to yourself. Practicing self-love can be a challenge especially when we face some serious life changes events. Self-love isn’t about being self-absorbed or narcissistic. Instead, it is about getting in touch with our well-being and our happiness. By practicing self-love we can push through some of those limiting beliefs and create a life that shines with infinite possibilities. Here are some great tips to bring more self-love into your life:

Tip #1: Start each day by speaking positively and lovingly to yourself. Compliment yourself on how you look or how you handled a stressful situation. Say something that will make you smile. If this seems strange to say out loud to yourself, write it down like you are writing a note to a friend and try that approach. Ideally, you want to work yourself up to being able to look in the mirror and say your name and “I love you.” Tip #2: Eat and drink items that are nourishing for your body, mind and soul. Your body is a temple, feed it amazing nutrients and it will provide you with 100% productivity, strength and love. By respecting your body and loving it you will see a big difference in your perspective. Tip #3: Surround yourself with people who encourage and inspire you. Allow them to remind you just how incredible you are everyday. Eliminate or limit your time with those who are toxic and do not share your same values and optimism in life. Tip #4: Your inner critic is not your friend so don’t believe everything that pops into your mind. When you start believing this critic you stop living a full life. So, don’t listen to that inner critic. Tell it to take a coffee break and leave you alone. When a negative thought pattern arises simply say, “that’s not me anymore. I’ve grown and moved on.” Tip #5: Your body is amazing and gorgeous so move it in some way every day. Whether that is a walk around the block, a 10 mile run or just some deep stretching. Learn to love the skin you’re in no matter how you look. You are incredible! Tip #6: Stop comparing yourself to others. There is no one like you on this planet, so you cannot compare yourself to anyone else. That behavior will set you up to fail and make you feel miserable. The only person you can compare yourself to is you. If you would like to lose weight think back to when you were thinner and use that as your comparison, not the people in magazines or at the gym. Tip #7: Dissolve all toxic relationships. Anyone who doesn’t make you feel amazing should not deserve to be in your life, even if they are family. You can let those negative friends go, but if it is family you may just need to keep them on a long leash. You deserve happiness and support, not negativity and frustration. Tip #8: Celebrate all your wins and accomplishments no matter how big or small. Toot your own horn and be proud of any and every little thing that you achieve. Write down at least one accomplishment every day right before you go to bed. This will allow you to go to sleep on a positive note of encouragement to do the same tomorrow. Tip #9: Try something new. Take that giant step outside of your comfort zone and see what it is like to try something you have never tried before. You can get a true rush of reward when you realize you achieved something that you didn’t think you could do. So give it whirl, you may just be the best ballroom dancer ever. Tip #10: Acknowledge, accept and embrace all those things that make you unique. These are the things that make you special and not like anyone else. Even if that means liking those freckles or that bump on your nose. Love who you are no matter what. Which of these tips do you do every day to help you love yourself?