Loving ourselves is such an important part of our spiritual growth.
As children, we may have been conditioned to believe that we must put others first and that we come last. Nothing could be further from the truth. Of course there are family emergencies and certain crisis situations when we must put others first. However, if we put ourselves last during normal day-to-day life, we are likely to experience burnout, resentment, and frustration.
Self-love is something that many of us have learned the hard way. It goes way beyond saying “I love you” to ourselves, although that’s a great place to start! Self-love is a force that permeates every aspect of our existence and helps us create a wholesome life for ourselves.
Here are ten ways in which you can show love to yourself:
1. Give yourself at least ten minutes of quiet “me time” when you wake up every morning. Enjoy a hot cup of tea, meditate, or journal in solitude.
2. Hug yourself often and say, “I love you.” It does not matter if this feels fake at first. Begin to express love to yourself anyway and watch how it becomes truer.
3. Nourish your physical body with nutritious food, restful sleep, and some form of exercise that resonates with you. Get a relaxing massage every month. Learn and practice a relaxing form of energy therapy like Reiki.
4. Nourish and protect your mental body. Reduce or eliminate the influence of gossip, drama, and sensationalism. Watch programs that bring you joy and make you laugh.
5. Nurture your emotional body. Honor your emotions—the positive and the negative. Enjoy your positive emotions. Accept and hold space for the negative ones until they pass.
6. Make time for your soul. Meditate for at least five minutes each day. Review your life periodically, and work toward bringing healing and balance to unhealed areas of your life.
7. Make some time for your passions and soul-callings. Dance, write, paint, read, listen to music, and do healing work or whatever it is that delights your heart and lifts your spirit.
8. Treat yourself to a pleasurable activity at least once a month—maybe even more often if you like! Savor your favorite ice cream, buy yourself a small present, or get together with likeminded friends.
9. Ask for help from others when required. If there’s something in your daily life that takes up a lot of your time and energy, see if you can outsource it.
10. Draw clear and reasonable energetic boundaries with respect to your time and space—and also with regard to how you allow yourself to be treated. Stand up for yourself. Do not allow people to trespass your boundaries. Respect your worth!
As you make self-love an important part of your life, you will have more love, joy, and peace to share with those around you. Through your own example, you may even inspire others to love themselves!
Sending you love.
