Learning to Love Yourself

We are attuned to love our families, friends & even work. But it so happens, while taking care of our families, fulfilling our various duties, we forget the most important thing. It is something called self-love.

The very body & mind that takes care of the entire family fulfills all the responsibilities, bears all the stress, and whatever it is that we choose to put in it.

As nations across the globe fight the ongoing pandemic of Covid-19 & the disruption caused by it, we are all trying to cope with the unprecedented levels of uncertainty. One of the major causes of stress, during this time of uncertainty, is the lack of self-love or the inability to create one’s own resource of love.

Though we are all born with the ability to deal with the “unknown”, a large portion of it is learned as we mature. And developing our ability to cope up with uncertainty holds a chance to make us more creative, successful & better able to turn uncertainty into an opportunity.

– Self-love journal: Maintain a self-love journal, put a date every day & write one thing that you love about yourself & one thing that a meaningful person in your life loves about you. Do this for 21 days and then compile it & do a frequent tally of the lovable qualities that you have in yourself.

– Mirroring technique :  Every morning when you wake up, look in the mirror & smile to yourself, speak out aloud one quality that you love about yourself, admire yourself, pay gratitude to the amazing body of yours for getting you through all the difficulties.

–Daily affirmations: End your day with affirmations, say “I am the best”, say for yourself, “What a masterpiece god has created” but keep in mind to not be arrogant, stay humble!

-Self love activity: Take any jar that you may have at home, write down one thing that you love about yourself on a slip and put it in the jar, for every slip that you put, also put a rose petal in the jar. You can do this activity along with the meaningful person in your life & extend the love. After 30 days, take out the rose petals & create a heart using it. Light two candles & celebrate the love that you have for yourself & others.

– Give yourself adequate sleep:  7-8 hour of sleep is essential for our body & mind to function well. Day-to-day problems can consume our mind hence, take a warm bath, make your bed nice & clean & sleep. You will thank yourself in the morning & notice you have enough energy to take the day head on.

– Feed your body better food: food is the fuel for our body. It is the source of nourishment, and it strengthens our immunity if we are feeding it junk, it doesn’t feel loved! Make better food choices. Consume vitamin c, lots of green veggies & a serving of fruits every day!

– Make time for exercise: For exercise, the rule of 4, 40 minutes for 4 days a week is recommended. Show your body respect and care and indulge in exercise. Exercise releases happy hormones & makes you more active.

– Dress up: Dress up even if you don’t have to go anywhere, wear that top you have been saving for some special event. We always take special care of the things we love; we make sure they are at their best! So go ahead and do the same for yourself!

– Make time to relax: Make sure to have some time to yourself. It’s just you spending time with your own loving self. Sip some hot tea on the balcony or read a book. Do what makes your soul happy!

So dear friends, walk through self-love meditation, reduce anxiety & increase compassion for yourself!