It’s February, and love is in the air.
We’re about a week out from Valentine’s Day, and I’m sure you’re seeing an overload of “relationship goals” posts online.
Consider this your break from that. I want to talk to you about a different kind of love you can embrace this month. Self love.
A few years ago, I started my self love journey - and it isn’t as ridiculous as it sounds.
After seeing so many people claim that loving themselves set them free, I was skeptical to say the least.
But at that point in my life, I didn’t have the best relationship with myself. So, I figured I didn’t have much to lose.
I started incorporating tiny acts of self love in my days. Some as small as treating myself to a cup of coffee, and others bigger - like planning a trip for myself.
Fast forward to now, I feel completely different about the idea of self love. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that I love self love, because it really did change my life.
Today, I want to share some self love practices I do every day. And don’t worry, I really think there’s something for everyone in here.
5 Ways You Can Practice Self Love Every Day
Start your day off with a compliment and an affirmation.
It can feel weird to compliment yourself, but the benefits are worth it.
You know when you see someone with a really cool outfit and you want to tell them - “hey, that’s a cool outfit.”
To some degree, you need to start doing that with yourself.
Taking time to compliment yourself every morning is one of the easiest ways you can practice self love.
When I first learned about this, I was advised to say the compliment to myself in the bathroom mirror.
But I have to admit, that was a bit awkward at first. So, I opted to write down my compliments in my journal, on a sticky note, or even just in a quick notes app.
After doing that for a while, I grew more comfortable with it. I would make my compliments more and more specific, really appreciate aspects to myself that I’d often overlook.
If you want to take it up another notch, consider adding on an affirmation.
Something along the lines of, “I can achieve anything I work at. I am powerful and confident.” You get the idea.
Pairing a compliment with an affirmation will double down on that practice of self love, and it’s a great habit to get into when you’re building a relationship with yourself.
Celebrate your achievements (even the small ones).
It can be really easy to overlook your little goals. Those little achievements that you might want to celebrate at first, but then you move past because you deem them unimportant.
We encounter a lot of small achievements in our day to day lives, and I’m a firm believer that we should celebrate them.
Now, I’m not saying we need to throw a party every time we make progress, but we shouldn’t just move past it.
Take a moment to pat yourself on the back, you deserve it.
Eliminate comparison.
When I started out on this self love journey, the hardest part for me to overcome was comparison.
We all do it.
We look at someone else and think our lives would be better if it only looked like ____. If we only lived in ____. If we only had ____.
Comparison is such an easy trap to fall into, and we really do need to work on eliminating it.
If you’ve struggled with comparing yourself to others, I would recommend starting small when trying to overcome it.
Focusing on what you do have instead of what you don’t is a great first step.
Start a gratitude journal.
It might seem silly at first, but starting a gratitude journal is one of the best things you can do to show yourself a bit of self love.
Take a moment every morning or every night to acknowledge what you have to be grateful for.
Start with one thing you’re grateful for, then move to three, and maybe even five and ten. Write how ever many come to mind.
The important part is that you’re consistent with it. That’s how you’ll start to see the true benefits of it.
Be nice to yourself.
Last but definitely not least - you need to be nice to yourself.
Stop the self-criticism. Replace it with words of affirmation and compliments.
Cut the comparison. Replace it with gratitude.
When you look back on the tips I’ve given you today, you’ll find they all have a general meaning behind them.
The best thing you can do for yourself on a self love journey is the most simple as well. Being nice to yourself is really what will make the biggest impact on how you feel about yourself, and it doesn’t go much deeper than that.
So why is something so easy also so hard?
I’ve spoken to so many people who explain that they struggle with being nice to themselves.
I’ve struggled with it.
But in those moments, we need to remember that out of every relationship we’ll ever have - the one we have with ourselves is the longest.
So, value it. Nurture it. Cherish it.
And treat yourself with kindness.
Comments