Be honest with yourself, how long has it been since you were truly happy with yourself? I'm not just talking about physically—I am talking about physically, mentally, and spiritually. Loving yourself doesn't make you full of yourself—it goes much deeper than that. 

What is self-love?

Before being about to practice self-love, we first need to understand what it means. 

Self-love is the ability to grow from actions that support our physical, psychological, and spiritual health without sacrificing our well-being. It means putting ourselves first, taking care of our own needs and, not settling for less than we deserve. 

It can mean something different for everyone but figuring out what self-love is to you as an individual, plays a major role in your mental health. 

Why is self-love so important to us?

It’s simple. We deserve more out of life than we allow ourselves. When we love ourselves, we create self-confidence, compassion, and allow ourselves to reach our full potential. 

You were born to be real, not to be perfect. - Unknown

8 tips on how to love yourself:

Take care of yourself

Always make room for healthy habits. Get back into eating healthy, exercising and healthy choices in general. If you surround yourself with negativity or unhealthy ways, it will always be an uphill battle—of which you will never win. 

Forgive yourself

We are often our own worst enemy. We end up with a nasty habit where we focus on our younger self and the mistakes we made along the way. Stop that! Acknowledge the disappointment and pain, then move on. We all make mistakes and there is nothing wrong with that—just make sure your learnt from it and that then makes it worthwhile. We all have moments in life we are not proud of—that is what makes us human. 

Remind yourself of your accomplishments

Forgiving your self goes in hand with reminding yourself of what you have achieved in life. When in doubt, reflect on what you have achieved that has brought you happiness. It will always outweigh the bad. 

Reconnect with the child in you

Self-love was created as a child. It never went away—it was just pushed aside. We often believe that what we believed as a child, doesn't matter as an adult, but that's not true. It's just as important in both phases of our life. Reflect and look back on your childlike innocence and find that place in you now. Your worries may just fade away.

Clear your mind

When you cannot find your way through the fog, recognise you are at that point and find an activity that helps ground you. Whether it be getting out and connecting with nature, meditate, listening to an uplifting music playlist, or do a relaxing skin care routine. Find what works for you and clear that mind of yours. Once you have a clear mind you can recognise patterns that affect your mind, heart, and soul. 

Reconnect with your spirituality

It is my belief that everything is energy and vibration in this universe—cause and effect. When you aren't connected to yourself spiritually, your soul is not in alignment. When you are connected and feel good within yourself, doesn't it make sense that love and pure energy will flow through you? Everything is about perception and beliefs.

Learn to say no

No, is a full sentence. You can say no and still be selfless. You are not letting people down if you put yourself first. You are not a bad person if you say no, you just simply know your limits.

Do not compare yourself to others

One of the biggest problems today is that we believe we need to validate ourselves through the approval of others. Social media is a major component is our self-consciousness but what we don't realise is that we don't need strangers to tell us how we should be or how we should look—because even the people who look perfect in our eyes have their own insecurities in all aspects of their lives. Majority of the time, what we see on social media isn't real so it gives us these false expectations of how we should be and what is accepted currently. I am not saying you need to get rid of social media, I am just saying understand that social media isn't always healthy. 

When needed, remind yourself with positive affirmations

• I am worthy

• I am loved

• I am enough

• I am powerful

• I am exactly who I need to be in this moment

We give up on ourselves when we don't see the value in ourselves. If you continue practicing these tips you will find, day by day, you will fall in love with your true self again. You will also find your eyes shining brighter, your laughter will fill the room, and your beautiful vibrant energy will become contagious to those around you. 

Remember, we all wander off the path but by being kind, patient and gentle with ourselves—we will always find our way back. So, tell me, what other tips can you suggest that will banish those unwanted habits and beliefs that cause us to lose our self-worth? Leave a comment below because we are all in this together. 

Bye for now, 

Emmylou