Positive Affirmations
Positive affirmations are simple, repetitive, and personalized statements that help people to become more self aware and maintain a positive mindset. They improve our beliefs about ourselves and help us to feel more confident so that we can reach our goals. The positive affirmations you use should be based on your own personal needs and things you'd like to work on.
For example, if you want to be more confident in social situations, you could use an affirmation such as: "I am outgoing and friendly." If you want to become a better public speaker, try: "Every presentation I make is well-received."
To ensure the affirmations are working for you, ask yourself how these new beliefs are affecting your life? How do they make you feel? Has your behavior changed at all? Have your relationships with others improved or shifted in any way? These questions will help figure out whether the affirmations have become part of your belief system yet or not.
Journaling
Journaling is a fantastic way to grow your self love journey. Not only does it help you figure out what's going on in your head, but the act of writing can actually be helpful in itself—simply by engaging your body in physical movement, you're allowing yourself to process thoughts and feelings better. You can journal however you like: by hand, by typing on a computer or phone, or even verbally recording yourself. Your journal entries don't have to be long: five minutes is a great starting point. Remember that consistency is key—just like with any habit change, it's normal for things to feel uncomfortable at first before they become second nature.
An added benefit of journaling is that it acts as a time capsule of sorts; when you look back through your journals after some time has passed, you'll gain insight into how much progress you've made since then and how far back certain patterns go. It can also help keep your memory sharp and remind you of things that have helped or hurt your self-esteem over time.
Forgive Yourself
Forgiving yourself is a difficult but important practice. Before we get into how you can begin to forgive yourself, let's make sure we're on the same page about what self-forgiveness is and isn't.
Forgiveness means allowing yourself to move forward and let go of the past; it means accepting that whatever happened, happened. It's an act of acceptance rather than an endorsement, and as such, forgiveness doesn't mean condoning your own actions or deciding they were okay or acceptable, nor does it mean forgetting or erasing what you did. You can forgive someone for hurting you without agreeing that their behavior was right.
Similarly, forgiving yourself for past mistakes doesn't entail pretending your actions don't matter or claiming that those choices didn't have any consequences. Self-forgiveness doesn't mean minimizing your past mistakes, since doing so would undermine the importance of accountability in personal growth and development.
Instead, self-forgiveness is about recognizing that we are all flawed human beings doing our best in a complex world with imperfect information—and this knowledge should not be used as ammunition against ourselves when things inevitably don't go as planned.
Take Time For Yourself
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You deserve it. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that our time is better spent on other people or tasks, but we can't effectively show up for others if we aren't taking care of ourselves first. Whether it's a full day at the spa or an extra ten minutes in the morning to pamper yourself with your favorite skincare products, make sure you're making time to treat yourself.
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Schedule it. Even if you've made the firm decision that you have time for self-care, it can still be hard when life gets hectic and stressful to follow through and make it happen. The best way around this? Put it directly into your calendar! The scheduling tool on your phone may seem like just another way to fill up your already busy day, but by carving out specific blocks of time dedicated only to self-care, you'll give yourself permission (and space) to make it happen.
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Do something you enjoy! This may seem obvious, but if self-care isn't fun for you—it won't stick. Whatever helps you feel relaxed and happy could be hiking with friends or going on a shopping spree alone—just remember: this is about what makes *you* feel good!
Exercise
Another way to take care of your body is to exercise regularly. Your body is your temple, and you deserve to treat it as such. You can get started with some light activity at home by doing a few jumping jacks or pushups after you wake up in the morning. If you want something a little more challenging, try going for a run outside. If you have access to a gym, consider joining classes there; spinning, yoga, and Zumba are all fun group activities that are great ways to keep active while making friends along the way! Whatever kind of exercise you choose (or combination thereof), remember: moving your body will make it feel good inside and out.
It only takes a little bit of work each day to start your journey to self love.
Nurturing a relationship with yourself can take time and be difficult, but it doesn't always have to be a monumental process. Starting small is the most important thing you can do. Don't pressure yourself into feeling like you need to tackle everything at once or that your progress must be linear and measurable. The journey is what matters, not the destination—so don't worry if you're not where you want to be yet, or if it feels like it's taking too long to get there. Self love is an ongoing process that never ends, so focus on each step as a part of something bigger instead of trying to handle everything at once!
It may seem daunting to start such an involved journey with yourself, but remember that this is something everyone needs to do—and everyone deserves it! You deserve love and self care just as much as anybody else does, so please don't feel discouraged from working on your relationship with yourself. Consider all of the things which make you amazing: your intelligence, courage, kindness, work ethic... the list goes on! Taking time for yourself will help bring these qualities out even more than they already are. There's nothing wrong with prioritizing self love—in fact, it's one of the most valuable things you can ever do for yourself.