Listen, I get it. Sometimes life throws a lot of lemons and we're too depleted to make lemonade (or maybe we've run out of sugar). We make mistakes, we become our toughest critics, and we feel unlovable to other people, much less lovable to ourselves.
It sounds super cheesy, but frankly, self-love is the ultimate healing energy. When you truly love yourself, you can heal yourself (both mentally and physically). Self-love is not only important because American Girl's The Care and Keeping of You told us it is when we were 12-years-old, or because "self-care" is a buzzword. Self-love is important because it's the superpower that allows us to become our highest selves, live out our purpose, and–oh yeah–achieve peak happiness (but like NBD, right).
While many people spend their lives on a self-love quest, it isn't all that complicated. You don't need to be as perfect as Beyoncé in order to truly feel it, or go on some Eat, Pray, Love adventure in order to find it. Just like anything else, self-love is about taking action, specifically in three different ways: physically, mentally, and spiritually.
The Physical Layer
"Self-care" is most commonly understood from the physical layer; taking a bath, doing a face mask, eating vegetables, and getting enough sleep. While this layer is only one piece of the puzzle, it's just as important to tend to your body and physical self in order to achieve self-love. Of course puppies are all cute, but you fall in love with the puppy that you feed, walk, and take care of everyday. Feeling responsibility for and truly taking care of your body will help you love it–it's human nature.
How to Love Yourself Physically:
Have a healthy balance of rest, play, and work that fulfills you.
Eat intuitively: appreciate your food, stop before you're too full, nourish your body with the best, and never deprive yourself.
Prioritize sleep.
Drink plenty of water, but make it feel luxurious: add mint, lemon, or berries.
Move more often than you sit still.
Honor cravings; drink water when you're hungry and thirsty, eat dark chocolate when your sweet tooth strikes, and make a curry or plant-based pizza when you want something heavy.
Track your period with the MyFlo app and treat the different phases in your cycle accordingly. Knowledge is self-love too.
Wear the outfits that are just so you, or put on your favorite shade of lipstick for no other reason than to sit at home and sip a glass of champagne by yourself. What we choose to put on our bodies can also be a tool to love ourselves more radically.
