The real difficulty is to overcome how you think about yourself
I'm the type of person that will give my all for the people I care about and put myself into second place. If you need a lift to the airport at 3am, I'm there. If you need a shoulder to cry on at the last minute, I'll be there. I guess with putting all the people and things I care most about in my life first I often forget about myself because I'm afraid of letting people down. As a child you are taught to be kind and help others without being taught how to love yourself but it's okay to be a little bit selfish sometimes.
The definition of 'self-love' is regard for one's own wellbeing and happiness with emphasis on the word own. It seems to be that self-love is something that everyone struggles with in one shape or another. I'm no different as I've definitely had my own battles, one of which I spoke about recently in my small boobs post, and I'm still guilty of not being able to accept a complement and not quite getting the work, life, study balance right. We are all striving for perfection without assessing how achievable it is, we are too hard on ourselves and social media, magazines and the media often hinder this rather than help. With valentines being less than a week away I think we should all be focussing on and celebrating loving ourselves for our own wellbeing and happiness.
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| XOXO Ring // Flamingo Ring |
Write down what you love
When was the last time you said 'I love me?' or actually wrote that down? Too many of us are scared to say or write down what we love about ourselves due to the fear of being big-headed and egotistical.Writing down affirmations with a positive mind means that when thoughts turn slightly more to the negative side you have a physical remembrance of what you love about yourself. Take some time to write a love letter to yourself, or write down as many things as possible that you love about you, aim for a minimum of ten. Why not be your own valentines this year and send yourself a card with all the things you love about you?
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| Heart Shoes // Chocolates // Vase |
Have a pamper
Take a 'you' day or maybe a 'you' thirty minutes/hour. By spending time focussing on you and what you want to do, you'll naturally stop stressing about others, what they have that you don't or what still needs to be done. Run yourself a hot bath, grab a glass of wine, face pack and lush bath bomb or buy yourself some flowers and treat yourself to those new shoes you've been eyeing up for weeks. Just do more of what makes you happy and do it for you. |
| Complement Pencils // Love Potion Keyring // Sequin Heart Bag // Love Mug // Essie Nail Varnish // Melting Hearts // Lace Body // Chloe Perfume // Bees Knees Card |
Celebrate achievements
Achievements are something which should always be celebrated, no matter how big or small and how you choose to celebrate them is up to you. Look back at what you've accomplished and achieved, things you're proud of, and write them all down. Then pick out your top five and list out all the skills that you gained or used to make those achievements possible. At the end you should have a long list of things you've done and all the positive things about yourself that helped you along the way celebrating you. |
| Pyjamas |
Create a self-love soundtrack
Sometimes when words can fail, music can speak volumes. Make yourself a playlist of songs which embrace that feeling of self-love and make you feel good about yourself. Personally I'd have to include I'm every woman by Chaka Khan/Whitney, Who Says by Selena Gomez and Unpretty by TLC. Each of those songs makes me want to get up and dance, sing along and also have great lyrics which have inspirational messages too.
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| XOXO Ring // Flamingo Ring |
How do you practice self-love? I'd love to know. Find me on twitter, instagram or Bloglovin' to let me know or leave a comment below.
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