Practicing self-love means loving all aspects of yourself, even the ones you’re not so happy with. For many people, the concept of self-love is brand new. Contrary to popular belief, practicing self-love doesn’t make you selfish or narcissistic. It just means you understand and respect your needs. To be happy and emotionally stable, you need to create a judgment-free environment for you to make mistakes and grow from them.
Here are 5 ways to help you work self-love into your routine to help you unlock the best version of yourself:
1. Recognize and accept your emotional state
An important part of self-love is holding yourself to reasonable standards. You need to accept that some days will be better than others, so it’s totally okay to have a slump period. Tune in with your emotional state frequently so you can tailor your plans and your routine to your current state.
2. Take time for yourself
To better dedicate some time to self-love it’s essential to focus inward. You might tend to stretch yourself really thin between work, daily life, and social happenings. But you should try to not let these events interfere with your much-needed me-time. Take some time to do some mindfulness activities, such as meditation or cooking your favorite meal. It’ll help you check in with your emotions.
3. Engage in positive self-talk
A huge part of your self-love journey consists of engaging in positive self-talk. When our self-talk is negative, it can lead to feelings of self-doubt and self-loathing. Shift your inner dialogue by giving yourself positive affirmations throughout the day. Compliment your appearance, congratulate yourself on your accomplishments, and tell yourself you’re proud of how far you’ve gotten in life – even when it seems impossible. When you make a constant effort to put yourself in a more positive state of mind, you’ll find yourself feeling more confident.
4. Forgive yourself
To love yourself, you need to let go of the negative feelings you have about yourself. Nobody’s perfect, so there’s no point in holding onto a mistake you made in the past (no matter how big or small). Embracing self-forgiveness will allow you to reflect on your actions with empathy, kindness, and support. Letting go of your mistakes through forgiveness will free up your energy so that you can embrace more loving behavior.
