7 Simple Ways To Practice Self-Love
by Anna Victoria in Lifestyle
Self-love is perhaps THE most important topic I could talk about. It’s more important than your workout routine and more important than what you eat. You could eat perfectly healthy and work out every day of the week, but if you don’t deal with what’s going on in your mind or in your heart, you’ll still be unhealthy. Don’t get me wrong, both eating healthy and exercising are incredibly important, but loving and accepting yourself is the true prize.
With that being said, I know loving ourselves is easier said than done. We’ve spent almost our whole lives being told by society that we need to nitpick at ourselves and find things to improve. This is where some may think a fitness journey fits right in line with those societal influences, but in my opinion, that couldn’t be further from the truth. A lot of times we learn how to love ourselves through our fitness journey. As long as you aren’t focusing only on aesthetics and you’re focusing on working out to feel your best, most energized, strongest and empowered… this is where a fitness journey can bring your self-love to a whole new level. You eventually realize you deserved to love yourself all along. Before your fitness journey, and now.
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If you are still on that journey to finding how to love yourself or just need a little refresher, here are 7 simple ways to practice self-love:
1. Take Care of Your Body
One of the best ways to boost your mood and confidence, while also lowering your anxiety and negative thinking, is by getting your heart rate up. Working out releases endorphins that make you feel good, and it’s hard to feel bad about yourself when you’re taking care of yourself. If you just aren’t feeling getting a workout in, channel your inner “Robot Mode”, go crush your workout, and I promise you’ll thank yourself later.
2. Leave Yourself Love Notes
Positive affirmations work! But life gets busy and it’s easy to let this practice slip to the wayside, especially when you’re first trying to build this habit. That’s why I recommend writing them down on sticky notes and place them in places you’ll see, like your bathroom mirror.
3. Remove Toxic People
Have you ever given thought to how the people you’re surrounded by making you feel? A great way to show yourself some love is by distancing yourself from people who make you feel like you’re hard to love. Even if you can’t remove someone from your life entirely, do what you can to limit your interactions with them. And if all else fails, remember that what they do or say is much more a reflection of themselves and their own inner struggles than about you.
4. Stop Making Comparisons
Social media is made up of the highlight reels of people’s lives and it’s all too easy to make comparisons. But that’s exactly why you shouldn’t compare yourself to anyone else. You are exactly where you’re supposed to be! And if you decide that you want to be somewhere else, change things because YOU want to, not to please someone else.
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5. Refine Your Inner Voice
Whether you’re consciously paying attention to your inner voice or not, your subconscious is listening. One of the best ways you can show yourself some love is by starting to pay attention to what you say to yourself. Even if you need to have a heart to heart with yourself and deliver some tough love, your inner voice can still be kind and forgiving. No name-calling or self-bashing allowed! Talk to yourself with kindness and compassion, no matter what the situation is. Show yourself some grace.
6. Do Something Kind for Yourself
Have you ever had someone perform a random act of kindness for you? Do you remember how amazing it made you feel? Well, I’m here to tell you that you can do that for yourself, too! Even if it feels like a chore at the moment, think of future you and pay it forward. Meal prep for the week, do the dishes before bed, take 5 extra minutes to organize that stack of papers. I promise that the day will come when you’re short on time or stressed beyond belief and those little acts of kindness will make a difference.
7. Thank Yourself
This one is SO important! Thanking yourself is such a simple, yet effective way to practice self-love. Whether it’s because of something big, small, or for no reason at all, look in the mirror each and every day and tell yourself “thank you”. You deserve to know you are loved, important, and needed here.
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It’s time we stop fighting against ourselves. Would you say some of the things you’ve said to yourself to your best friend or to your partner? No! So why do you say it to yourself? It’s time we treat ourselves as we would our loved ones. It’s time we become our own biggest loved one of all! I would love to hear which of these tips is your personal fav, or if you have another one to add! Comment below and let me know. ❤️
