If your immediate answer to this question is “Yes, of course!” then you’re good. But if your answer is a hesitant yes, a confused kinda, or a flat out no, then let’s talk.
Last week we talked about the why of Self Love, why it is vital to your well being. If you missed it, read up HERE. But before we dig deeper into self-love, we gotta figure out if you even like yourself first.
What I mean by “liking yourself” is do you like who you are right now? Do you enjoy spending time by yourself? Do you like your habits? Do you like how you treat others? Do you like how you spend your time? Do you like how you talk to yourself? Do you like how you look? Do you like how you eat? You get the idea.
Taking a look at what you do or how you are on a regular basis can give you a starting point for this whole self-love thing. If you don’t like how you treat yourself or certain habits or traits, transforming them into things you do like can be an act of self-love.
Now, there is wisdom in loving all of yourself, despite your flaws, and noticing what you do like is also important, but if you are looking for a tangible way to starting loving yourself more, you can start working with that you don’t like or what isn’t in line with who you want to be.
A simple example is that I don’t like my habit of watching a show while I eat lunch. I don’t need to watch a show, it ends up taking up more time, and I zone out of enjoying my meal and knowing when I’m really full. So changing that habit would be an act of self-love. I love myself and my true desires enough to change habits that don’t serve me.
Another, more complex example would be shutting down the negative self-talk. This one is a big one. It’s so important that it was one of the very first things I wrote about when I started this blog.
Start to notice that inner chatter. Notice how you talk to yourself. Do you like what you hear? Is it with love and compassion? Is it how you would talk to someone you love? Would you like someone who talked to you that way?
Starting to be aware of that self-talk can be pretty confrontational, but I invite you to stay with it. Start to transform those thoughts by countering them with love and understanding.
Be a person you would like to be around. Do things you like to do. Establish habits you would like to have and work on changing the ones you don’t like.
I’ll elaborate on how to incorporate some of these things next week, but for now, just sit with it. Give it all some thought. And start doing more of what you like and less of what you don’t like.
Journal It Out
Here are some journaling prompts to assist in your self-love journey:
1. What do I like about myself? What traits and gifts are working for me in my life right now?
2. What are some negative habits that I have? Which ones aren’t in line with my core values, or which ones don’t really feel like me?
3. What is one thing I can do today to transform a habit or trait that isn’t working into something that is?