07 Dec 5 Reasons to Experience Self-Love

Have you ever heard of ” Self-Love”?

It may sound really strange at first but if you think about it , we talk about love so often.
Love has been an evergreen topic, it has influenced history, social settings,the entertainment industry and continues to affect and or restore daily life!
We love our families and friends ! We study love while watching a film and we even sing about love! Yet when it comes to the thought of loving or taking care of ourselves, we tend to shy away from that subject.
Many times we place the need to take care of the people around us, as a higher priority and because of that we may think that self-love is an act of “selfishness” rather than selflessness.
What if the act of taking care of you helped you to be better able to be present to the ones you love in your life? What if you could do simple things that could help you feel happier and more grounded in your life? This is one beautiful piece of what self-love is all about: simple moves that invite in more joy.

There are many ways to practice self-love, and here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Schedule in Rest

Rest can change your life, BIG TIME!
Take a look at your schedule and write down all the places in which you can accommodate time for rest, even if it is only for a few moments! From a nap to simply sitting outside to going to bed early, give yourself the gift of truly letting your body, mind, and heart take a break from your to-do list and rest.
You may have seen kids get into a bad mood when their sleep is interrupted and many of us feel the same way because we’re going through our lives exhausted.
But we don’t express what we need because unlike kids, we just keep going and ignore it. Or we take it out on others and don’t even realize it. Try to notice when you’re own crabbiness flares and see if you can rest for even just a couple of minutes to give yourself (and those around you) a break.
And remember, rest isn’t being lazy or not getting enough done or being selfish. Rest is giving your body and mind what you need so you can be fully present in the other moments of your life.

2. Put Down Your Phone

Smart phones are amazing, we can look up to the internet for education, for recipes, for location tips, for renting things and deeply connect with loved ones through different mediums like Skype, Facebook, Whatsapp, Snapchat etc on a tiny device that we carry in our pockets!
But it can also really distract us from the beautiful world around us, from “in-person” living.
This week, practice self-love by putting down your phone and being present to the life around you. Schedule in breaks where you even put your phone in a drawer or another room. Let people know that you won’t always be available on their timeline. Even if you only do this for five minutes at a time. Try it.

3. Wear Your Favorite Clothes

There is something about the simple joy of wearing clothes that you feel good in. When you go shopping, find clothes or shoes that make you happy. You can even go shopping in your own closet. Wearing something you bought because it looked good or felt good, is a great mood booster!
Shopping for boots or jackets of your favorite color is a big act of self-love. Saving up the money to buy something you want just for you can become an investment in your own joy.

4. Take a Selfie (Yes, a Selfie!)

A self-care practice we can turn to again and again is self-portraiture. The act of seeing yourself, your beauty, through your own eyes is a powerful act of self-love. Our internal dialogue can be so negative, but through taking self-portraits, I’ve learned to look at myself with a softness, with more love.
Try it. Maybe even try it right now.

5. Do Something Your Really Love

Make a list of 10 things you really love to do. Just get out a simple notebook and jot them down. Then choose one.
What do you love to do? Walk around a bookstore? Get a pedicure? Watch an old movie? Knit? Bake cookies? Schedule in some of your favorite things and boost your joy.

A current popular saying is ” Do what you love. Love what you do.” Yet, we are a society that can be a bit obsessed with being busy and forgetting to actually enjoy ourselves. What if the “doing” was actually more about creating space and nurturing ourselves so that the actual living is full of more love? Try to invite in more self-love into your life today and notice what changes happen.