The Art Of Self Love
Brené Brown said it best ‘Don’t walk through the world looking for evidence that you don’t belong, because you will always find it.. Don’t walk through the world looking for evidence that you are not enough, because you will always find it.. Our worth and our belonging are not negotiated with other people, we carry those inside of our hearts’.
In a world full of judges and critics, why do we even allow self loathing to exist in the equation?
We all have parts of us that we dislike or things that we’ve done that we dislike (myself included), but learning to love them anyway is the gift of compassion that we all deserve.
LOVING YOURSELF UNCONDITIONALLY
This may be a concept that seems impossible but try it anyway. Nobody’s perfect, but embracing the person that you are, mind, body and soul will allow your truly unique authentic self to emerge and blossom.
For me, it was reconnecting with my soul and tapping into the unconditional love that I hold deep in my heart for everyone else.
I invite you to STOP (as I now do) and give yourself the gift of compassion. Take a moment to read one of my previous articles 1 simple practice to connect with yourself.
If self love isn’t already part of your everyday life, you can begin today with one simple act of kindness. Set reminders in your phone to appear each day over the next month, be bold, say things you couldn’t possibly imagine you’d believe, and see if these love notes make a difference, see if they help you to believe in yourself.
You are enough 🌺
Your feelings are valid ✨
You are capable of amazing things 💝
You are allowed to enforce your boundaries 🦋
You do not need anyone else’s approval 💜
You are everything 🌹
All it takes is one act of kindness to yourself every day and before you know it, a year has gone by and 365 acts of love and compassion have created a person that you admire and love.
Even if you have felt very little love in your life, you can decide today to start feeling it. Don’t hesitate, don’t go tentatively. Give it your all. Sing with your loudest voice. It’s something you can begin to embrace right now.
LOVING YOUR INNER CRITIC
Self-compassion is loving every bit of ourselves. It’s embracing our inner critic, thanking our anger for protecting us and our sadness for showing us how much we cared. It’s showing gratitude for every part of us, for this is how self-compassion radiates from our heart.
Part of our inner critic was created through messages that stem from negative emotions or messages that we heard and absorbed as a child. This is where recognising the voice of your inner child can help. Another part of it is from cultural expectations and ideas from our environment and society.
The inner critic is not part of realistic thinking. It is just a single voice among many. Yet, it happens to be the loudest one. With that being said, it is so important to take the time to actually listen to your inner critic.
When you listen to what you’re telling yourself, you’ll most likely realize those loud criticisms are actually your inner child longing to be loved. This is when you must truly start embracing your inner critic.
Think to yourself – what if I heard a mother talking to her child in the way I talk to myself? Using words like hopeless, undeserving, unworthy, ugly, etc. You’d automatically realize just how detrimental these words are.
So take the time to listen and acknowledge what your negative thoughts actually are, then take the time to embrace each one and show them the compassion you desired when you were a child.
10 WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF LOVE
Set yourself a goal for the next month. Take the time to give back to you. Show yourself that you are worthy, you are loved and you are important.
Write down 5 things you love about yourself. Then each week add something new.
Each day, take a break from the outside world and go within. Meditation and yoga are great for this.
Show yourself compassion for the things you regret.
Do something small you love every day.
Take a hot bath and add some salts or bubbles and listen to some music.
Learn to say NO to the things you don’t want to do.
Join a fun class or start up a hobby you enjoy.
Feng Shui your home and office. Decluttering your space can make such a difference.
Book yourself in for a massage. You deserve it.
Show up in all your vulnerability and love yourself for doing it.
Taking these simple steps and showing yourself random acts of kindness, is the start to the world becoming a better place. Because once you see the difference it makes in your life, you’ll want others to feel the same. Share this article with a loved one and remind them that they too are loved.
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