Self Love Month

Here at Joyful Journey, we like to celebrate Self Love in February. While many emphasize the relationship aspect and couples in love, we want to refocus on you! The best kind of love begins with Self-love! I have some great tips I found to share with you. 

1. Embrace meditation and mindfulness.

When we meditate, we are cultivating self-love. But that’s still only 10 minutes of the day, or maybe up to an hour for seasoned meditators. Transferring that quality of mind into the rest of our day is where mindfulness takes over — the ability to remain aware, without getting caught up in our ancient patterns, without getting fazed by what’s happening around us. The mind we train in meditation is essentially the mind that learns to be mindful, not falling into old ways of thinking. Research shows an association between meditation/mindfulness and elevated self-esteem and happiness, as well as lowered anxiety — each of which makes it easier to practice self-love. What’s more, it becomes easier to recognize the negative thoughts and feelings that often get in the way of us appreciating ourselves. Three weeks of using the Headspace app has been shown to increase compassion by 21%.

2. Express gratitude to yourself.

When we express gratitude — for the qualities we possess or the day we’ve experienced — we are connecting with the things we value about ourselves. Self-appreciation is one route to self-love. Whether we say these things to ourselves quietly or keep a list in a gratitude journal, the practice of acknowledging our strengths and achievements will help build self-love over time and redirect our desire for external validation inward.

3. Practice self-care.

Self-love blossoms when we take care of ourselves. This can be as basic as attending to our needs—eating well, hydrating enough, exercising, and sleeping as much as we need—but it can also mean doing a little extra. We might carve out an afternoon to do something we love or pamper ourselves. Self-love centers around how we think and feel about ourselves. Self-care is those thoughts and feelings put into action; however, we choose to treat or spoil ourselves.

4. Set boundaries.

Nothing is more loving than recognizing our own limits and protecting ourselves from running past them. When we don’t love ourselves enough, we may come from a place of people-pleasing and put the needs of others ahead of our own in pursuit of validation. When we raise awareness of this trait, we can begin to make changes and set healthy boundaries. Though it can feel challenging, we show ourselves love by saying no to people, things, and experiences that don’t feel good, and by clearly asking for what we need from our loved ones.

5. Let go of comparisons.

Comparing ourselves to others’ external success or achievements is a surefire way to cultivate negativity. Each of us has our own path in life, and we practice self-love by reminding ourselves of that when the desire to compare arises.

6. Forgive yourself.

Challenges are inevitable. Each of us will make mistakes or behave in ways we regret. We can practice self-love by extending compassion and kindness to ourselves in these moments. When negative self-talk shows up, we can notice it and acknowledge it without giving into the self-criticism. We can extend the grace and forgiveness we’d extend easily to a dear friend in the same situation.

This month I hope some of these suggestions from aclp will help your journey in Self Love!