Self-Love. It’s a lifelong practice, and what does it mean? We may not always like what we are doing or how we’re behaving in every single moment, but being present and attentive and truly honest with ourselves of how we’re feeling in each moment is the beginning practice of self-love.
There are some principles to follow in laying the foundation and the first is acceptance. Be kind with yourself no matter what comes up. Didn’t complete everything on your “To Do” list? Did you plan to take your children somewhere fun but ended up cleaning the house all day instead (that was me yesterday)? We do the best we can and this is OK. Liz DiAlto recommends altering your self-talk to “I am enough. I have enough. I do enough” as part of her Wild Soul Movement.
Respect. Set some boundaries and know when to say “yes” and when to say “no”. If it’s not a yes, then it’s a no. You can reflect on your self-respect by journaling or thinking about where you may be putting yourself last and what you’re tolerating that you just don’t want to be. Prioritize yourself with more time for just you and include time where you can offer yourself acts of self-love.
The power of pausing creates a moment of awareness. Notice the things you don’t love about yourself and give it a moment to look at the bigger picture and ask “What’s going on here?”. Getting to the root of your awareness allows you to create a better version of yourself. At this time try meditating or practicing breathing with the 6-3-6 rule which is inhaling for 6 seconds, holding for 3, and exhaling for 6. You’ll feel a difference in just one cycle but practice this for as long as you need to.
Who are you and what is your truth? Knowledge of who you really are (not what others have told you you are) allows you to recognize your true self but know that this can change at any time! Give yourself permission to be a different person than you were yesterday. There’s infinite time for growth. Clarify the top 5 values you wish to possess. Do you want to offer a service to others, be a profound part of society, or create a tribe of like-minded individuals that are your kind of people?
There’s one more piece to building a healthy foundation of self-love and this is trust. Trust that you are able to express yourself in a way that is true despite what others may think. Just as you want to have your own experiences, allow others to have theirs too without the need to control the behaviors of those you interact with. Your intuition will send you the right signals. Trust it. How do you feel RIGHT now?
Be easy with yourself and take this exercise one day at a time.
X ~ Jaclyn
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