Self-love is at the top of everyone’s game as of late. Finally.
I won’t lie: It took a looong time to even believe I was worthy of an ounce of the self-love I’ll be walking you through here. Even though I started my self-love journey a few years ago, it still takes intentional practice daily to love myself.
If you struggle with loving yourself, I want you to know that the struggle is not there because you are unlovable or undeserving of love. You are so valued. You deserve love, most of all from you.
The struggle is there because, somewhere along the way to where you are now, people have told you otherwise. I’m just here to remind you, as many times as needed, that those people were wrong.
You deserve good things. You deserve love. You deserve a good life and to feel proud of yourself.
I’m going to walk you through several ways you can start loving yourself the way you deserve right now in this moment exactly as you are.
1. Journal about you.
Write down what you love about yourself. This can feel awkward if you’ve never done this or haven’t in awhile. However, I want you to remember that acknowledging all your lovable parts does not make you narcissistic or selfish.
By doing this as often as you can, you’re reminding yourself why you’re so great. Believe me, you are great! But, for most of us, we’re constantly reminding ourselves why we’re not so great. We beat ourselves up for mistakes and get stuck on the “shoulda, woulda, couldas” of life. We’re not always the best cheerleaders and advocates for ourselves.
We can change that with this one simple 5-minute exercise.
2. Commit to one big, out-there dream goal.
It’s so fun allowing yourself you set lofty goals and dream big! It brings out our creative juices and allows our soul to go free-flowing through infinite possibilities.
However, when was the last time you dedicated yourself full-force to one of those goals? When was the last time you believed in yourself enough to take it head on?
We don’t have to have all our ducks in a row before we just go for it. Goals are accomplished over time through a series of small, deliberate steps; not in big, massive strides. Decide today what dream goal you’re going to go for and the micro, baby steps you can take daily to get there.
If you struggle with loving yourself, I want you to know that the struggle is not there because you are unlovable or undeserving of love. The struggle is there because, somewhere along the way to where you are now, people have told you… Click To Tweet3. Celebrate your victories.
Too many of us are intimately familiar with our mistakes and failures. Don’t get me wrong: I love failures. Failures are how we learn and grow as people. But, they don’t instill that sense of confidence and self-love in us that we need to keep moving past those failures.
There are little victories in every day. Maybe it’s that you remembered deodarant. Maybe it’s that you woke up. Maybe you got a pat on the back from your boss or that cute guy texted back.
Whatever your victory is today, celebrate it! It doesn’t have to be an over-the-top celebration. It can be as simple as acknowledging your win, giving yourself credit, and feel proud of yourself.
4. Thank your body.
Really take the time to thoroughly thank your body. Your body fights to keep you living this life every single day. That makes your body amazing!
If you were able to go for a run today (even if you didn’t), thank your body. If you’re breathing without even having to think about it, thank your body. If you were able to eat today and digest your food, thank your body. If you were able to move today in any way, shape, or form, thank your body. If your heart kept the beat today, thank your body. If you’re able to read this in whatever format you are, thank your body.
Your body is this incredible space. It’s a powerhouse. It does all that and much more everyday like it’s no big deal. It houses your soul.
We can be so unkind to our bodies because we have cellulite and dimples on our legs. Or, we have stretch marks carving rivers into our bodies. Or, our stomachs aren’t as toned as some stranger’s on the Internet.
That cellulite cushions our bums so they don’t get sore. (And why are dimples only cute if they’re on your face??) Our stretch marks are our own personal growth record to show how we’ve grown over time. Our stomachs hold all of our vital organs in place so we can wake up in the morning and live a beautiful life.
This body, your body, deserves gratitude and love. Always.
5. Focus on being gentle and kind with your thoughts.
You know who the cruelest person you will ever meet is? Yourself.
How many times have you caught yourself saying horrible and mean things to yourself? Things that you would never hear out of anyone else’s mouth? What would you do if a friend said those things to you? Yeah, they probably wouldn’t be your friend anymore.
That’s because you have boundaries. You know when something, or someone, is a bad deal. And, someone being unnecessarily and excessively cruel, unfair, and judgmental is a bad, bad, bad deal for a friend. So, why on Earth would you let yourself get away with it?
When you find yourself going down the path of being cruel and harsh with yourself, take a moment to pause. Cut off the mean thought and replace it something that is gentle, positive, and kind. Imagine you are speaking to your 5-year old self. What would you say to them in this moment of distress?
6. Let go of negativity.
Negativity comes into our lives in many different ways. Sometimes, it’s centered around negative thoughts about ourselves. Other times, it’s permitting people into our lives who are excessively negative and/or toxic. Negativity could be our environment. It could be a space that’s too cluttered or a home that doesn’t feel like an emotionally safe space.
While it’s not always possible to change our immediate situation, we don’t have to hold ourselves hostage to negativity. We are free to acknowledge our pain and then let it go.
You can do this with a simple exercise: Imagine a cloudy sky on a bright, breezy day. You’re laying in the grass and watching the clouds float by. Take whatever negative thought you’re having and attach it to one of the clouds. No strings. No parachutes up there. It’s attached on the cloud and you’re free from it. You’re peacefully watching it pass you by, completely unattached.
Repeat that meditation exercise daily and your life will change.
If you got value from this article, remember to share it with someone who could use it, too!
I love this post! We don’t realize how simple things and simple goals can bring so much positivity and change in our life and perspective. It’s just amazing how happy I’ve grown in a short period of time just by developing one habit of gratitude journaling. I’m slowly trying to bring about more simple changes. This post is a great place to start for anyone who is just starting out on this journey of self-improvement and self-care.
It’s the little things that move the needle the most! So often, we resist new ideas because we think we have to make big changes in order to feel it, when in reality, it can be much, much simpler than that. Thank you for writing in! 🙂