3 ways to begin your self-love journey Today
The only person who you can rely on 100 percent of the time is yourself. At the end of the day, you are the one who can provide comfort, motivation, and love. Why is it that we think it’s okay to speak rudely to ourselves, but to someone else, we'd be hurting their feelings? Life is a mirror and reflects what we give ourselves, so we must nurture our bodies and souls and make ourselves a priority.
If you asked me two years ago if I loved myself, I'd probably say yes, but that totally would've been a lie to seem confident. I struggled with negative beliefs around my body and intelligence. There were other things, like my hair and skin, that I felt insecure about, but those surprisingly did not take long to start loving. Here are three ways I started showing myself the love I deserved that you can do right now:
1. Have integrity for yourself.
You have to start showing up fully and wholeheartedly for yourself. It is not selfish to make yourself a priority; this is your life, you are the priority in it. We can get caught up in worrying about others thinking we "don't care about anyone else," but you know that's not the truth. Remember that you cannot pour from an empty cup.
Integrity for yourself can look like following through with what you say you'll do. If you say you're going to wake up early and finish your work, do just that! When you bail on your plans, it's like telling yourself you are not a priority and don't care about what you need. Learn to trust yourself to prove that you'll always be there for yourself. Trusting and respecting yourself is a form of self-love!
2. Be grateful for what you have right now.
You don't have to love yourself to show gratitude. I'm almost positive there are things you do appreciate about yourself -- they are simply not given enough attention. When you focus on the good in yourself, that positive outlook can spread to places that rarely feel loved. Try to express appreciation, at the least, for the things you are most insecure about and linking a positive quality to them. Through gratitude and appreciation, you can learn to love. Here are some examples:
I am grateful for my legs that allow me to walk around
I am thankful for my voice that allows me to sing and talk to people I love
I love that my imagination allows me to stay curious
3. If you want to change, make sure you're doing it for YOU.
When you get the urge to transform, make sure you are making the changes for yourself. Changing for others or to feel included might not be as fulfilling. When you get caught up in making everyone else happy, you may lose yourself in the process, which is the opposite of self-love. A decision to change that is rooted in a genuine desire to improve your life will feel better and show that you really want to change. Don't take criticism from people you do not go to for advice. Remember, your authentic happiness comes before anyone else's negative opinions about you!
You are on a self-love journey because you want to be. You make changes because you want to make them, not because you're trying to please someone else. Self-love can be as simple as learning to ignore people's negative opinions about you because you love yourself and are at peace with the way you are.
Bottom line:
There's no right way to practice self-love; it's how you feel and talk to yourself that matters. Don't be too hard on yourself, and remember that your approval is all you really need. I'm so excited to see you blossom into your most authentic self and show up confidently in this world!