We are put on certain paths in life to face obstacles that can either build character or create a variety of insecurities. Loving yourself can be hard to do sometimes. Many selfless people have a difficult time giving self-love because they are so often giving to others they forget to give to themselves. Looking out for one's own happiness and well-being is not selfish. From our image to our generosity all of this can take away from meeting our own personal needs. Sometimes we neglect our needs to provide for others' needs instead of caring for things like our sleep, and our health.
The prescription for self-love can differ from everyone. We all have specific needs and face different circumstances. We are the only ones who can write our prescription; so analyze what your body needs, adapt a plan and conquer self-love. We must learn to be able to give to others while also maintaining our personal needs. Here are a few tips to guide you into the prescription of self-love.
Self Image
Self-love may be difficult when there are so many ways in which our perception of ourselves may be challenged. From the pressures of school to the friends and crowd we hang out with, our thoughts about our selves start to develop around age four. Once we began to enter our teens between 11 and 15 we really form an image of who we are and who we want to be.
We go through stages of our life trying to find where we belong and how we view our external self. Some may find themselves idolizing people and attempting to recreate their image. This is where the battle of self-love begins. In our virtual lives, we can see over 100’s of images of influencers, famous people, and “average” people and compare them to our own life.
We are all beautiful in our own unique way. Being different makes us unique which is beauty in itself. Loving yourself as a whole, inside and out, is crucial to a healthy life. Once we can accept our self we can grow into confident, positive role models who can share their story of self-love.
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Rise and Shine for Success
How our morning starts, set the tone of our entire day. Waking up with positive thoughts can bring upon a good prosperous day. Compliment yourself on the outfit you chose, read your affirmation out loud, or by choosing a good healthy breakfast; whatever makes you feel good about that morning hone in on it, and keep that energy throughout the day. Keeping positivity throughout the day can help us manage issues easier and help us gain confidence in our work, family life, and social life. Have a routine that makes you feel energized and glowing.
Emotional State
Our emotions can alter our day very quickly. Having a good day may seem like a rarity in your life, but sometimes our negative judgments on ourselves can lead down a path of emotional destruction. Accept where you are at and make an effort to do what is necessary to change. Everyone on this earth has had a bad day in one way or another. Life throws challenges to test our emotional, physical, and sometimes mental state.
It is filled with choices and obligations that can make our emotions feel like we are on a roller coaster ride. Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help! This is a sign of self-love.
Asking for help in one way or another is all about self-love. It can be a lonely road and having someone to speak to can help you guide your emotions, which can also help you understand your emotions. Recognizing our emotions before they get difficult to manage can help us adjust how we feel about ourselves, thus providing our self with self-love before we self-destruct.
Time for Yourself
We might find ourselves in a situation where we are constantly giving to others. We may provide financial assistance, give emotional support, take care of odds and ends while neglecting to do those things for ourselves. It is so important that we give ourselves time to decompress. We need to learn to love ourselves to truly know how to love others. As many of us are the main support line for a family, self-care is so important. When we can’t care for our self it can be difficult to take care of those around us. Neglecting our needs can affect our ability to help those around us.
Another important part of making time for ourselves is to make sure we are unplugging. Things like staying off our phone, laptop, or T.V. and taking some time for yourself to fully relax. Allow this time to listen to what your body needs. If we pay attention our body will let us know what we need to show self-love.
Forgiveness
One of the hardest parts of life is learning forgiveness. Forgiving others as well as forgiving ourselves is so important to our wellbeing. Holding on to grudges and judging ourselves over bad decisions can lead us down a negative stressful path. Be kind to yourself and others.
Life is full of choices and situations that have consequences. Accepting a situation, learning from it, and forgiving yourself is a part of the healing journey which is an excellent way to show yourself some love.
Sleep
Sleep is one of the most important ways to show self-love. Sleep is the point of the day where we give our body time to recharge. So many of us live a fast-paced life juggling, work, school, family, and everything in between we might forget to show some self-love at the end of our day. Not enough sleep can give us the feeling of constant exhaustion. Giving our body time to relax and rejuvenate our systems especially our brain is much needed. Some of us may have gotten into a pattern where we don’t feel the need for an 8-hour slumber, but our health can be greatly affected over a long period of time if sleep deprivation sets in.
A Love for Knowledge
This type of self-love is so beneficial for not only you but those around you. Maintaining a love for knowledge will help you to share that love with others around you, inspiring those to continue to learn.
This does not have to be for a degree, but simply pick up a book, take a class or even try joining a club. There are so many community clubs where you can share your knowledge with other like minds as well as learn from them.
Final Thoughts
Self-love is a process and takes time to fully accept the step it takes to truly love yourself unconditionally. A healthy life has no strict plan or definition, but following these steps can be a start to a new outlook on life. Loving ourselves can help us love and care for others on a deeper level.
We may become more intuitive and positive by allowing ourselves to give our body what it needs most. That may be more sleep and/or simply being kind to ourselves. The prescription for self-love can be different for each individual, but we all need it!
