Embracing self-love
February is a month often associated with the theme of love, usually in the context of romantic relationships. While self-love has become more mainstream and popular as a point of focus as well, it can still sometimes feel challenging to make time for ourselves and to practice self-love.
In this post I will go over: what is self-love, why it matters, challenges in continuous engagement in self-love practices along with examples and a journal prompt to begin your self-love journey.
What is self-love and why does it matter?
Self-love is a practice of compassionately accepting oneself, including both strengths and weaknesses. Self-love practices can include setting boundaries, engaging in self-care, building a deep sense of innate worth and in self-compassionate reflection.
It can help reduce self-criticism, enhance overall mental health and supports emotional resilience. Self-love is an important practice, not just for the above reasons, but also to improve quality of life. When we are engaging and practicing self-love, we are often able to increase the negative thought processes which can severely impact our overall health and lifespan.
Challenges in engaging in self-love practices
Like most things, it can feel challenging to consistently engage in practices that require effort as our brains tend to enjoy things that are similar and predictable. Therefore, one of the main challenges is consistency and motivation - finding the discipline to engage in these practices that we know are good for us and our overall wellbeing. Another challenge is around worthiness - sometimes we don’t believe we are worthy of love (both from ourselves and others) that it can become an obstacle for our engagement in these self-love practices.
Examples of self-love practices
Journaling : to explore your inner thoughts and feelings
Movement: can be exercise, dance, walking, etc
Creative activities: drawing, painting, singing, writing, acting, etc.
Luxurious self-care : massage, bubble bath, facial, etc.
Nourishment : the food that you eat and how you choose to nourish your body
Taking yourself out : can be a big or small activity
Write yourself a love letter - Journal Prompt
Grabbing a piece of paper and something to write with, begin to doodle on the page - this can be hearts, swirls or anything you are feeling called to. Once you feel ready, begin to write a love letter to yourself. Tell yourself all the things you love about yourself. Write down your accomplishments and ways you are proud of yourself. Reflect on ways you already and want to show yourself more love. And don’t forget to sign your name at the end of the letter.
You can use this letter to refer back to any time you are feeling lost or are in need of a reminder of the love you have for yourself.
