Self-love is perhaps THE most important topic. It’s more important than your workout routine and more important than what you eat.
You could eat perfectly healthy and work out every day of the week, but if you don’t deal with what’s going on in your mind or in your heart, you’ll still be unhealthy.
Both eating healthy and exercising are incredibly important, but loving and accepting yourself is the true prize.
Loving ourselves is easier said than done. We’ve spent almost our whole lives being told by society that we need to nitpick at ourselves and find things to improve upon. When it comes to fitness, as long as you aren’t focusing only on aesthetics alone and you’re focusing on working out to feel your best, most energized, strongest, and empowered self, a fitness journey can bring your self-love to a whole new level.
If you are still on that journey to finding how to love yourself or just need a little refresher, here are 5 simple ways to practice self-love:
1. TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY
One of the best ways to boost your mood and confidence, while also lowering your anxiety and negative thinking, is by getting your heart rate up. Working out releases endorphins that make you feel good, and it’s hard to feel bad about yourself when you’re taking care of yourself.
2. STOP MAKING COMPARISONS
Social media is made up of the highlight reels of people’s lives and it’s all too easy to make comparisons. But that’s exactly why you shouldn’t compare yourself to anyone else. You are exactly where you’re supposed to be! And if you decide that you want to be somewhere else, change things because YOU want to, not to please someone else.
3. REFINE YOUR INNER VOICE
Whether you’re consciously paying attention to your inner voice or not, your subconscious is listening. One of the best ways you can show yourself some love is by starting to pay attention to what you say to yourself. Even if you need to have a heart to heart with yourself and deliver some tough love, your inner voice can still be kind and forgiving. No name-calling or self-bashing allowed! Talk to yourself with kindness and compassion, no matter what the situation is. Show yourself some grace.
4. DO SOMETHING KIND FOR YOURSELF
Have you ever had someone perform a random act of kindness for you? Do you remember how amazing it made you feel? Well, you can do that for yourself, too! Even if it feels like a chore at the moment, think of future you and pay it forward. Meal prep for the week, do the dishes before bed, take 5 extra minutes to organize that stack of papers. I promise that the day will come when you’re short on time or stressed beyond belief and those little acts of kindness will make a difference.
5. THANK YOURSELF
This one is SO important! Thanking yourself is such a simple, yet effective way to practice self-love. Whether it’s because of something big, small, or for no reason at all, look in the mirror each and every day and tell yourself “thank you”. You deserve to know you are loved, important and needed here.
It’s time we stop fighting against ourselves. Would you say some of the things you’ve said to yourself to your best friend or to your partner? No!
So why do you say it to yourself? It’s time we treat ourselves as we would our loved ones.
It’s time we become our own biggest loved one of all!