"The best gift you can ever give yourself is the gift of LOVING YOU!!"
Ah, the gift of self-love.
For many of us, the concept of self-love is new or at least reflected on differently than when we were kids. Thinking back to my earliest years, I don’t recall ever hearing this phrase. Or at least not in the way I do now.
So what is self-love? Depending on where you look, there are a number of definitions. And, I would guess each person you talk to has a variation of what this phrase means to them.
While researching the definition(s), I was surprised to see and read interpretations that pointed to a negative side of self-love related to how it negatively impacts other people too.
To me, self-love is a sincere appreciation for and embracing the unique gift that is YOU; It's embracing every little quirk about yourself! And allowing yourself to be yourself!
As I sat down to write the post today, I recognize the ways we practice self-love, in turn, defines it. That said, the following are fifty tips on how to start practicing self-love.
If you are far on the other side and not seeing all the amazing that is you right now, just start with one. Then, stay consistent with that, and when you get good at doing it, add another,
YOU, my friend, are worth it!
1. Get to know yourself-Yes, every single amazing and messy part of you. What do you like? What do you want to change? Who do you want to show up to others? Who do you want to be for yourself?
2. Decide who you want to be and BE that! Not allowing others to tell you who you are. Here is the thing, you are NOT required to own other people's opinions of you.
3. Start looking yourself in the mirror and acknowledging all the good traits about yourself (even the wrinkles😊).
4. STOP criticizing yourself.
5. Create a more empowered internal voice.
6. Start an acknowledgment journal.
7. Finish this sentence as many times as you can every single day, “I love myself because….”
8. Deal with the anxiety and depression; you do not need to stay in the situation you are in!
9. If you want to lose or gain weight, get help and put in the work to do it!
10. Self-love is being honest with yourself! BE Honest with YOU!
11. Take the class.
12. Start the side hustle.
13. Take responsibility for your life. This one is so important! If you stay accountable to where you are in life, your feelings, etc. YOU also keep all the power to be able to change the story!
14. Eat in a way that supports you and your physical being.
15. Give yourself grace when you ‘make a mistake.’
16. Forgive yourself.
17. Forgive others.
18. Love yourself enough to keep people at a distance when they negatively impact your energy AND appreciate that they are simply being themselves, and the two of you together simply may not be a match.
19. Ask the guy/girl on the date.
20. STOP doing things you really don’t want to do.
21. Worry less about other people liking you and focus more on YOU liking YOU!
22. Learn how to say no.
23. Learn how to love alone time and be happy in your own thoughts.
24. Take time to breathe!
25. Apply for the job.
26. Do whatever you need to do to learn how to use your voice!
27. MOVE more. Find something that is fun and let your body be free in the movement. Perhaps dancing or yoga or running or hiking or something else altogether.
28. Take the day and binge-watch your Netflix without any ‘I should have's.
29. Drink more water.
30. Mind your sleep. This can be everything from the amount of sleep you get to the environment you sleep in to the thoughts you go to bed with.
31. Have the occasional piece of ‘Chocolate cake’ without guilting yourself about it later!
32. ALLOW every single one of your beautiful, amazing feelings to exist and embrace them all. They are all valid and necessary!
33. Start letting go of past regrets and build new stories about life.
34. Start a 'the story of me journal,' writing the story about your dream future life. (You can build whatever dream you want!)
35. Learn how to say yes when you want to; stop letting FEAR or DOUBT stand in your way.
36. Take small steps to overcome the fear.
37. BE KIND to yourself!
38. Stop comparing yourself to other people; you are not them, and they are not you. Appreciate your differences. Neither of you is more right or more wrong than the other.
39. Remove the clutter from your life; physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
40. Have the hard conversation you have been avoiding.
41. Learn how to laugh at yourself (even if it’s just a little at a time).
42. Spend more time in nature.
43. Learn whatever you need to in order to do that thing you want to do!
44. Give yourself a 'social media detox.'
45. Find one or two people you can be 100% YOU around and lean on them when you need to!
46. Trust your energy and how you feel in situations and with people. It’s there to tell you something.
47. Go see new things (in whatever way this engages who you are). For me, it's traveling,
seeing the things nature has to offer, meeting new people, and checking out new towns.
48. Self-love is putting you first WITHOUT being an asshole to others.
49. Find what it is in life that makes you laugh, the true deep down belly laughs, and DO more of that!
50. Self-Love to me is taking care of yourself in every way!
Bottom-line friends, you are perfectly Whole and Complete exactly as you are right now today! You simply picked up some things along the way through the years that were never yours to own. Now is the time to start letting those dis-empowered thoughts go and start building the strength and LOVE for yourself that you deserve.
Want help on the path, connect with me!
Jen Zahari
Empowerment Coach, Dream Advisor, and ThetaHealing Practitioner
Strong Foundations Coaching & Consulting, LLC
jenzahari@jenzahari.com
www.jenzahari.com
920-350-0138