With all of the busyness of life, and the stressors and responsibilities that come along with it, it’s pretty easy to neglect ourselves. Sometimes it’s just hard to find the time to do things for US. And because we have a tendency of comparing ourselves to others, we can often be overly harsh with ourselves, and fail to appreciate just how special we are.
But you know what I’ve found to be helpful? Keeping it simple. This has allowed me to show myself love in different ways every single day. So I’d like to share with you 5 Simple Ways to Practice Self-Love Every Day.
1. Focus on the Little Things
Sometimes it’s the little things that bring us the most joy. Think about the little things that make you happy. The things that always seem to make your day that much better. Things that don’t take a whole lot of time or money, but always manages to put a smile on your face. For me, it’s iced coffees, ice cream, a good movie or show, and a good meal. Any time I treat myself to any of these, I’m in a happy place.
So focus on the little things. When you do, you might find it a little easier to treat yourself or to make time for the things that you love.
2. Make “I’m Doing My Best” One of Your Daily Mantras
This is something that I’ve been doing for maybe a year now. Whenever I feel myself getting overwhelmed, or on the verge of being hard on myself, I remind myself that I’m doing the best that I can.
Our best is all we can do. None of us have it all together or are exempt from making mistakes. And beating ourselves up about things doesn’t make anything better. All we can do is learn from the mistakes that we make and keep moving forward. We can do our best and then pray and hope for the best.
When you focus on the fact that you’re doing your best on a daily basis, you’re better able to show yourself grace and love.
3. Prioritize Self-Care
A big part of loving yourself is taking care of yourself. And the beautiful thing about self-care is that there’s not just one way to do it. It can look different depending on the person, the time of day, the weather, the mood, and the list could go on and on.
For instance, I consider spending time with my family and friends self-care because we’re usually enjoying each other’s company, sharing laughs and memories, and being there for one another. I find joy in doing this, so to me, being around people that I love is self-care. So is spending time alone, getting lost in a good book, treating myself to pancakes, listening to uplifting music, and getting a workout in. These are all very different things but they all have a positive effect on me in some way. I feel good while I’m doing them and I feel better after I’ve done them.
When we look at self-care as a means to bring us genuine joy or peace, and as something that has a positive effect on us, we can practice self-care on a daily basis because the possibilities become limitless.
Related Posts:
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4. Speak Kindly to Yourself
I’m sure that sometimes we don’t even realize just how many negative thoughts about ourselves cross our minds on a daily basis. Our inner critic is always busy criticizing us, being harsh and judgmental, and playing up our weaknesses instead of our strengths.
But you know what? We have control over what we choose to think and say about ourselves. And we have the power to shut down those negative thoughts as soon as we feel them creeping up. We can then replace them with positive ones. What helps me is to put a positive spin on whatever it is I just criticized myself for. So for instance, if my negative thought was “I’m never going to be able to get this right,” I might change that and think “I’m still learning but eventually I’m going to figure it out.”
Paying attention to your thoughts and being mindful of how you’re speaking to yourself on a daily basis, causes you to start seeing yourself in a more positive light. And when that happens, you see your value and your worth, and the love and appreciation for yourself follows.
5. Embrace Who You Are
Embrace what makes you different. Embrace your quirks and imperfections. Accept yourself for who you are. When you do, you’ll find self-love just comes naturally.
When we keep it simple, we can find time to show self-love every single day. And the more we embrace ourselves and accept ourselves for who we are, the easier it becomes.