I’ve been thinking about self-love a lot lately. How important it is to say yes to yourself, and decide to change your life, because every day is a new chance for you to find, and live that best version of yourself. It’s a hard concept to imagine when we live in a world that does its best to keep you believing you can’t be happier, or content.
Change doesn’t happen overnight, and even if you stay committed to the ideals of gratitude and saying yes to yourself– you’ll still have bad days. You’ll always have tough moments, and loss, and anger. That’s okay. That’s life. But you don’t have to stay trapped in the silt, you can rise through all that muck and burst out like a lotus reaching for the sun.
Or think of life like the four seasons- it’s always a cycle. People often think of winter as a bad time because in a lot of places- it’s cold, snowy, and overcast. But winter, or those tough periods of life, can be seen as a time of reflection, a time to hunker down and stay cozy so that when the sun does come back, and those flowers begin to bloom- you’re fully able to appreciate the beauty of it all.
That’s what self-love is- it’s being gentle with yourself when times are tough but pushing yourself to still seek out all the amazing things life can offer you and your own soul.
Maybe you already have some ideas about what this looks like, but in case you don’t, I wanted to give you some ideas about what self-love looks like.
A lot of self-love is really the self-care stuff you might already be great at — taking a bath, treating yourself to something special, going to bed early, or watching that favorite movie that makes you cry because it just feels good to cry sometimes.
Self-love is also eating healthy most of the time, and still knowing that it’s okay to indulge sometimes with that piece of cake, or that calorie heavy bowl of pasta. Self-love is treating yourself, as often as your finances allow it, to higher quality products that are better for you. Self-love is moving your body as often as you can, whether it’s taking a walk, or dancing while cleaning, or following an exercise routine you saw on YouTube.
Self-love is learning to pay attention to the negative words and phrases you say about yourself, and re-writing those old tapes with positive things. It’s telling yourself that you are enough and that you deserve to be loved, instead of thinking you’re not enough.
Self-love is drinking more water, and less soda. It’s drinking more greens juice, and cutting back on caffeine. Drinking too much caffeine can strip the body of valuable nutrients.
Self-love can be spending less time on social media, and more time reading things that make you happy. Less time on social media in general can have positive effects on your mental well being.
Self-love is re-discovering, or putting more energy into your hobbies. Are you creative, but don’t dedicate the time? Do you like to learn new things- but never seem to have the mental energy anymore? Do you like to always try new things- but never have the time? Self-love is finding a way, anyway, to let these things back in your life.
Self-love can be making positive financial changes. Will saving more, whatever that amount might be, help you to finally take that trip you’ve always known would change your life? Focus on that.
Self-love is letting go of toxic relationships and trusting that you deserve better in your life. This one is especially hard, because for so many- the toxic relationships are those closest to you. It’s parents or siblings that hurt you more than help you, and friends that only take, and never give.
Self-love is looking at the things in your life that make you unhappy and committing to changing that. That can be going to therapy to work through negative self-thoughts or old/current trauma. It can be changing jobs because the idea of your work fills you with dread and despair.
Now, I know I shared a lot of examples here and you don’t need to completely upend your entire life trying to do all of this at once. That said, there are a great many people that have said they found their happiest self after letting go of everything at once and making a great, big leap.
For those of you that aren’t ready to jump off the cliff, and find yourself on the way down, pick even a few of these ideas and commit to them. Write those dreams, and ideals down somewhere, so you see it and hold yourself to a higher standard.
Self-love is, more than anything, knowing your own worth.
It’s knowing that life is meant to be enjoyed and loved. You shouldn’t spend your time being dragged through the mud, or being treated poorly, because you think somehow it will make you stronger, or better. You already are strong. You already are enough. You are precious, and unique, and beautiful.
Let your life reflect those beliefs.
Live your best life by loving yourself.
In Gratitude,
Robin
Robin Lee is a medical intuitive, author, mentor, gratitude advocate, and speaker who has helped thousands of people around the world understand the language of their bodies. Robin believes that our bodies innately know how to balance and heal themselves if given proper care and support. Visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter, where she shares tips, tools, and techniques to honor our bodies and heal our lives!
Image courtesy of Puwadon Sang-ngern.
