Practical ways to love yourself!

Practical ways to love yourself! By Aine Belton

There are, of course, infinite ways to love and to care for yourself. The possibilities are endless, and will depend on what is most appropriate for you at a given time, what brings you greatest joy, and what honours and fulfulls your heart’s wishes and soul’s purpose.

You already do love yourself, likely more than you are aware, yet if self-love feels new to you and you want to experience and develop more of it, there’s no shame in what may initially feel like ‘faking it till you make it’.
When you start to act more loving to yourself you will ignite a renewed relationship with yourself and step onto a path to a blossom-rich horizon. You will also reprogram your subconscious mind with a new way of being and relating with yourself.

Loving yourself may involve pampering and treating yourself in luxurious ways, yet it may also include less glamorous endeavours, for self-love is about doing what most serves you and your soul at a given time, and honouring and respecting yourself accordingly.
Loving yourself could be:

Cleaning your home, organising papers and accounts, eating healthy food, paying bills, clearing debts, etc.

Ending sabotaging patterns, habits or addictions.
Seeking the help, healing and support that will help you make the transition to a brighter future.

Setting new inspiring and enlivening goals, raising your standards and reaching for more.
No longer sacrificing to please others.
Being honest and intimate with yourself and others.

No longer settling for less and setting respecting boundaries.
Living somewhere that you truly love, or transforming, decorating or renovating your existing home to surround yourself with an environment that is beautiful, meaningful and heart-warming.

Nourishing and caring for your body, such as eating healthy food and exercising regularly. You might join a gym, get a personal trainer, or begin fun healthy activities like salsa, yoga, or a new sport or activity like hiking or running.
Doing 'nothing' and spending time relaxing, reflecting, de-stressing or simply ‘being’.

Treating yourself to the pleasures of massage, a facial, pedicure, beauty treatments or a new hair-do.
Buying new clothes that reflect your truer self.

Taking up or renewing a creative hobby or passion, be that singing, writing, walking, painting, sailing, or photography, for example.
Listening to and honouring your feelings.

Going on weekends away, short breaks and holidays to inject greater fun, happiness and adventure into your life.
Being in touch with friends and loved ones, and expressing the love you have for them, which will be nourishing not just to them, but to you as well.

Speaking kindly to yourself, seeing your value and goodness, affirming your positives and being grateful to yourself.
Having a night out on the town: going out for a fabulous dinner, dancing, to the movies or theatre, whether alone, with a friend a friend, or romantic partner.

Meditating.
Being true to yourself, upholding principles and standing your ground if required.

If you tend to save or hoard money, it could be having a care-free ‘splurge’.
Treating yourself does not need to be a great expense, however, and can be having breakfast in the garden on a sunny morning, taking a walk in the afternoon, having a bubble bath, a candlelight dinner in, going for a swim or watching the sunset.

Spending time in nature to bask in its beauty and grace. We all have favourite nature spots. For some it is the ocean side, for others the beauty of a spring meadow, for some it is to walk down country lanes, or enter a forest or grove. Perhaps you love riversides or waterfalls, or wide vistas and open landscapes with far reaching views, or hill tops and mountains.
Appreciating yourself for all your gifts, qualities, strengths and achievements, and having compassion and love for any perceived 'ugly sides', weaknesses, stresses, trials and tribulations.

Forgiving yourself for all 'mistakes' the lost or wounded you may have made, and letting go of negative self-concepts and beliefs.

"All my limitations are self-imposed and my liberation
can only come from true self-love."
- Max C. Robinson