Self Love
February may be the month of love, but it is not just about showing love to others. This month is also your opportunity to practice self-love.
The relationship you have with yourself is the most important relationship you will ever have.
If you want to show up and be fully present for others, you first must cultivate a positive relationship with yourself. This can mean many things: positive self-talk, taking time to do activities you enjoy, surrounding yourself with encouraging people, nourishing your body with healthy foods, and avoiding poisons like processed carbohydrates.
Self-love can be challenging, especially if you are used to putting others first; however, you will be happier and more connected when you care for yourself first.
Here are 7 ways to start practicing self-love today:
- Write down one thing you are grateful for every night before bed. Alternative option: write down one positive thing that happened to you that day.
- Learn to say no! Saying no doesn’t make you a bad person. We only have so much time and energy to give – treat your “yeses” like money…and you’re on a budget.
- Fill your body with nourishing food and drink choices that give you the energy you need to accomplish the things you want to do. Avoid poisonous processed carbs that slow you down and make you feel groggy!
- Surround yourself with the people who love and encourage you. Seriously consider cutting ties with those toxic people in your life who subtly or not so subtly tear you down.
- Stop comparing yourself to others. There is no one else like you in this world, so every comparison is an unfair one.
- Look in the mirror and tell yourself – yes, out loud – that you are beautiful (or give yourself a complement). Beauty cannot be defined. It is only what you perceive, and every person is beautiful in their own way.
- Forgive yourself. Perfection is a fallacy. Know that you will make mistakes and that’s okay! Let it go and remember that while you can’t change things that happened in the past, you have complete control of your future.
When you started this new journey, you may have felt unhappy or insecure. However, since you started to put your health first, we hope that have begun to experience the difference that self-love (especially in the form of proper nutrition) can make in your life.