8 SELF-LOVE TIPS

8 Easy Ways To Actually Love Yourself More

Let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Here are eight simple actions that you can start carrying out today in order to actually love yourself more.

1. Move often

When we move we allow the various forms of energy in our body the space to shift around.

If we’re couch potatoes, watch too much TV, or spend all of our day sitting in front of a computer, then our creative, emotional, sexual energies tend to get trapped in our bodies.

And when we’re chronically stagnant with our bodies, that stuck energy often turns into anxiety and sadness.

So instead of sitting in an office chair or couch all day, get up and move as often as you can.

Whether that’s getting up early and walking outside for a few minutes, or having a mini-dance party as a break from work, or going out and spending forty minutes in a gym… find some form of movement that feels compelling to you, and make it a priority.

2. Care about nutrition

The food that you put in your body is your fuel.

If you’re constantly putting in junk fuel, you’re going to feel like junk. On the other side of the spectrum, if you’re completely depriving yourself of foods that you derive enjoyment from, then you’ll feel like a robot that eats to live (as opposed to balancing it with some of the ‘live to eat’ side of the equation).

So eat clean. You already know what to do. Drink water, eat lots of veggies, nuts, seeds, and fruits, consume complex carbohydrates, and limit intake of any processed foods.

3. Limit the junk food that your brain consumes

Just like your body feels grumpy if you feed it awful things consistently, so too does your mood suffer when you feed your mind garbage.

– Stop watching the news. Somewhat depending on which country you live in, there’s a good chance that the majority of news that is presented to you is shitty, useless, and fear based. Stop consuming it as much as possible. Instead, consume the brain-nutrient equivalent of organic, nutritious information. Examples? Try this book, this website, and this page.

– Stop watching ‘reality TV.’ I used to watch Jersey Shore. Then I stopped because I felt gross when I watched it. It doesn’t serve you to watch people so you can secretly judge their behaviour and feel superior to them.

– Unfollow or unfriend people in your social media newsfeed that only spread negativity. I have a few thousand friends on Facebook but I only subscribe to less than 20 of them. Be as intentional about cultivating the information that you consume as the food that you put in your body. They both matter more than you think they do.

4. Invest in your sleep

You spend roughly a third of your life sleeping, so you might as well get good at it.

The way we sleep can either deprive us and deplete us, or it can energize and uplift us.

Get some high quality blackout curtains, limit any exposure to electronic light within two hours of going to bed, and keep any cell phones/computers/TV’s out of your bedroom. When the lights go out it’s time to cuddle or have sex, not check your Instagram feed.

5. Be intentional in how you spend your time

Enforce real boundaries in your life so that you carve out time for the things that matter the most to you.

Say no to people you don’t like spending time with. Say no to work projects/paths/opportunities that don’t serve you and your core values. Spend time with your favourite people on a regular basis. Carve out time in your calendar to make time for fun, lightness, and playfulness.

The more you honour yourself in how you spend your time, the more your inner child will feel seen, understood, and loved.

6. Regularly make time for rest and relaxation

Between all of your healthy meals, optimized sleep habits, and playfulness, you want to make sure you’re also allowing yourself the time and space to breathe and relax.

Take naps when you feel like it. Treat yourself to spa treatments when you want them. Let yourself soak in Epsom salt baths for an hour when the mood strikes you.

Rest and relaxation are vital in the self-care/self-love journey. Let your soul breathe. Occasionally allow yourself to have no plans.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is to take a break, lie down on the floor, and just breathe.

(For more info/ideas regarding down time, check out this article on self-care)

7. Incorporate regular play into your life

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

One of the biggest changes that I’ve started to make in my life in the past year is re-prioritizing play into my life.

I took a play inventory (aka I sat down with myself and asked “What did I used to do for fun before life became so serious?”) and then started honouring the answers that came to me.

Ever since this revelation, I’ve started to take improv classes, take more photos, create more short films, I go skateboarding, and I’ve been going to the occasional dance class and dancing to Janet Jackson.

If play has taken a backseat to your very important, very stressful adult life, then you might need to check out this book on play, and re-prioritize some things.

8. Maintain an ongoing self-recognition list

Another thing that has helped me a lot over the past year is switching my mindset from “I’m always behind/I need to catch up/I’m not doing enough” over to “I’m doing so well.”

The highest leverage action step that I have taken to help myself accomplish this is to keep an ongoing self-recognition list.

It’s as simple as it sounds. I recommend you do it in one of two ways.

Either…

–  Have a place where, every day, you answer the question “What am I recognizing myself for today?” with whatever thoughts come to mind (no matter how big or small the things that come to you are)

– Have an ongoing list where you write down your bigger achievements that are all trending towards one specific goal or are dedicated to one area of your life. An example could be an ongoing self-recognition list focused on your health goals, or your career building accomplishments. That way, when you look back, month over month, you’ll remember that you really have made a ton of progress in your life (even if it doesn’t always feel like it day to day).

Whichever one seems less intimidating and more beneficial, go for that one. Keep it simple. Just grab a journal and dedicate it towards this task, or start up a digital document on your phone or computer and start writing in it.

9. Spend time alone

Whether you’re single, in a relationship, or married, one of the best ways that you can cultivate a loving relationship with yourself is to regularly spend some time alone.

Regardless of your introvert or extrovert status, everyone can benefit from some genuine alone time.

Take yourself out to a restaurant by yourself (you can bring a journal/notepad/book with you for company if you need to).

Go to a movie by yourself. Take a lengthy walk in the morning. Lie on your bed and breathe deeply. Meditate in the evening for a few minutes.

Whatever alone time activity appeals to you, make it happen. You might be amazed at what thoughts and revelations bubble up for you when you give yourself the time and space to simply listen to yourself.

Loving Yourself, Made Easy

As always, get started with whichever tips seem either the easiest to you, or the most challenging, depending on where you are in your journey and what you’re looking to work on.

Start with one, focus on incorporating it into your life, and when you feel like you have a solid handle on integrating that habit, then start the work of adding another.

I wish you the best of luck in your self-love journey!