How do you start your day?

~Life is an endless process of self discovery~

Self-love is not a trend, it is not something you do when you feel like it.  You don’t just “do self-love” after a break up or after you experience trauma.  Self-love is a life long practice that needs to be added to your every day life. With self-love comes the releasing of negative thoughts and self-criticism by embracing more of a loving and positive acceptance of yourself through forgiveness of yourself and others.

The Universal concept is that our thoughts create our actions and therefore those thoughts dictate the outcome in our lives.  Self-love is a very powerful and necessary practice and critical if you want to have healthy relationships with others.

Self-love is not selfish!

Taking care of and loving ourselves and being a whole, sound and emotionally healthy person allows us to take care of others without it feeling like a burden. If you aren’t taking care of yourself, if you don’t rest and relax your soul, then you will be of no help to others— especially yourself.  You will eventually feel drained and eventually there will be nothing left to give.  You must give to yourself as well as give to others.

Below is a a simple self-love checklist that may seem overwhelming to you at first, however, I promise that if you commit to adding a majority of them into your daily routine or practice as I like to call it, every single day, you’ll see the benefits immediately.

45 Ways to Practice Self-Love

1. Create a quiet and safe zone in your home (may it be a corner, a closet, or a spare rom and deem it your “space”)
2. Buy yourself fresh flowers (or cut them from your garden and display them)
3. Grow a garden of fresh vegetables
4. Start an exercise routine (yoga, pilates, the gym, take a walk) – increase those endorphins (see Creating a workout routine you can and will stick to)
5. Read, take a nap, listen to music, sit quietly – please just rest your soul
6. Buy yourself some new makeup and play with it
7. Create a daily bucket list and post it
8. Repeat the following mantra “I love and accept myself”
9. Make a list of all the things you like about yourself
10. Create a gratitude journal (see How to start Journaling – Keystone Habit)
11. Start your day with meditation and yoga
12. Implement a “treat yourself day” (mine is Friday)
13. Dress nice, even if you don’t have to, put on those earrings, scarf and lipstick and show the world how beautiful you are
14. Take a breath between your bites of food and savor the taste
15. Make yourself a hot cup of coffee or tea and savor each sip
16. Have a protein or collagen smoothie every morning
17. Sleep at least 7 hours a day
18. Say no and be ok with it
19. Pay it forward, always
20. Make someone feel good whenever you can
21. Smile often, even if no one is smiling at you (they may think you are weird but that is ok)
22. Eat food that is nourishing (put down the boxed food – unless its treat day)
23. Get a massage and have them use essential oils
24. Go for a hike or long walk in nature
25. Be confident (walk and talk with confidence)
26. Learn something new – dance classes, yoga, tennis lessons, start or join a MeetUp group
27. Host a ladies night
28. Call a friend and laugh for hours about nothing (no complaining)
29. Spend time with your kids before they grow up and move away 😦
30. Get a new haircut and/or buy some new makeup
31. Eat chocolate guilt free (maybe on treat day)
32. When someone offers your a compliment, simply say, “Thank you”
33. Travel solo
34. Set a no screen time in your house (dinner, after 9, etc)
35. Set goals (see Improve your life with these simple Keystone Habits)
36. Take a day off and do something nice for yourself (go to the gym, coffee shop, shop, meet a friend for lunch, take a walk, sleep)
37. Self-love mantra: “I am enough. I have enough. I do enough”
38. Let go of what no longer serves you
39. Buy a diffuser and infuse essential oils like lavender
40. Write a letter to yourself and put it away for a year
41. Host a dinner party
42. Hire a coach or a counselor (see The real benefits of working with a Life Coach)
43. Take a hot bath with Epsom salt and lavender (or whatever your favorite oil is)
44. Make new friends (and remove those toxic ones)
45. Clean out your closet and donate clothes you no longer wear

The biggest message I have is, be gentle with yourself and always honor where you are at every stage of your Journey.

The best advice I have been given – ever is to ~feel your feelings~

Namaste’

Contact Us if you would like to work with a coach to help you kick start your self-love and self care routine!