Self-Love to Lower Stress

Self-love is a very important part of creating a balanced life. This is the last segment of this series. You deserve to have a balanced and beautiful life. 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 haven’t taken the time to even think about it for a long time. Start to take the time to add self-love into your life every day. Self-love isn’t about being self-absorbed or narcissistic. Self-love is about getting in touch with our well-being and our own 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 the last five tips:

Tip #26: Let go of any past trauma. You may need to reach out for support as it can be really hard to work through it on your own. Last year I went to a Functional Neurologist who helped me find where my past trauma’s were hiding in my body and helped me change my brain and release pain and anxiety from my life. Reach out to a therapist or even someone you know who has walked in the path that you are walking. Once you take this time to let go and shed the traumatic events, you let a big weight lift off of your shoulders. Don’t forget, you deserve better. You don’t have to carry that sadness and hurt around anymore. Give yourself permission to let those wounds go.

Tip #27: Discover your happy place. It could be in your home, your car, your office, the gym or somewhere in the mountains, beach, sailboat or on the slopes. Where is that one place you feel calm, happy and at peace? What is the place that tugs at your soul, is positive and gives you a natural high on life? Go to this place either physically or mentally whenever you are having a hard time or rough day. If you can’t actually go to this place then think about all the details about the place, the sights, smells and sounds. Let this sacred place bring you peace anytime you need it. Place pictures of this location around your office or on your phone where you can access them at any time.

Tip #28: Write down at least one accomplishment every day. When you find yourself feeling happy, on top of the world or proud of an accomplishment take a moment to write down your strengths and accomplishments. It is very important to “toot your own horn.” There is nothing wrong with this and it actually should be done on a more regular basis. Remind yourself of how amazing you are and what you contribute to your job, family, community and friendships. You can always pull this list out on those days when you are feeling down and sad to give yourself a hug.

Tip #29: Evaluate and recreate your inner voice. Re-introduce yourself to your inner dialogue. If your inner voice is anything less than loving, supportive and encouraging you need to change it. Think to yourself, “would I say these things to a dear friend of mine?” if the answer is “no” why would you say them to yourself? You deserve to be spoken to in a kind, loving and supportive manner. Make that change and your self-love will flourish. Everyday, say something to yourself that you would say to your best friend. If you can’t actually “say” it to yourself, write yourself a note or a text message.

Tip #30: Make Fun a priority in your life. Take time to get out and have some fun. Do things that you enjoy, do things that challenge you and do things that you never thought you would do. Enjoy life and create an incredible life journey for yourself.

Where is your happy place? How have you changed your inner dialogue to be more supportive?