10 Ways To Fall In Love With Yourself And Practice Self-Care

Happy Valentines Day to YOU!

Valentines Day is here and while this day may be the most romantic day of the year typically filled with fairy tale movies, heart shaped chocolates, and an endless stream of social media posts from people in relationships, you don't need to be in a relationship to celebrate the 14th of February.

Give yourself the gift of self-love for Valentines Day and look at it as a day made for self-love and personal care. Imagine a day where you do what you LOVE and what feels good for YOU!

Valentines Day doesn't also doesn't have to be the only day you should be choosing self-love and self-care, but making every day a loving one.

"We often forget that the most important relationship we have is the one we have with ourselves"

These are just some ideas for inspiration, and things that I personally do to fill my 'self-love cup' up, but yours may look completely different.
Close your eyes, get present, take a few deep breaths. Sit for a few minutes and start to think about all the things that you LOVE to do. Things that inspire you, light you up from the inside out, motivate you and bring you pure joy. 

1. Cook a nourishing meal

One of the best forms of self-love is to cook and eat a nourishing meal with plenty of Vitamin L (yep, that’s Vitamin Love). Even better when I choose consciously to eat a meal that will nourish my temple in moments when I want to eat a tub of ice cream, a bag of chips, or a block of chocolate.
I love to turn a meal preparation into a self-love ritual by choosing to let go of the ‘to do list’ and let my mind enter a state of flow while I’m cooking.

2. Move your body

Moving your body doesn’t just have to be exercising, working out lifting heavy weights at the gym, or doing something you don't enjoy. Moving your body could be the 7 minutes while you wait for your meal to cook, or the 20 minutes on your lunch break.

One of my favorite ways to move my body is walking outdoors in nature. I become present and aware, and I look at the sky, the flowers, the trees, and the beauty all around me. I also love creating a space for flow or movement, whether that's yoga, dance, stretching my body or doing some weight or body weight exercises.

Each day your movement and exercise routine may change, and that is okay. It's always a good idea to tune in with what your body wants, and go with the flow of what feels right for you. Take some
deep breaths and slowly start moving your body, where ever it feels right, a twist of the wrists or feet, tilt your neck
side to side, and a lengthen your spine.

Some ideas for movement you could do today:

• Yoga
• Reformer pilates
• Hiking
• Boxing
• Jumping on a trampoline
• Dancing
• Surfing
• Stand up paddle boarding or kayaking
• Bike riding
• Hula hooping

3. Positive affirmations

 Affirmations or mantras are phrases that you repeat to help create new thought beliefs. Through the process of repetition and using affirmations daily, you can eventually train your brain to accept what you keep repeating. Affirmations are a great positive thinking and self-love tool.

Some of my favourite affirmations are listed below. You can pick to use and repeat daily, at least 2-3 times a day if you can.
I also love to listen to self-guided affirmation meditations on Youtube or Insight Timer. I even recorded myself speaking affirmations aloud so that I can listen to my own voice and repeat the affirmations back to myself.

• I accept myself unconditionally, exactly the way I am
• I am enough
• I inhale love and exhale fear
• I openly welcome love, abundance, good health and peace of mind into my life because I deserve it
• I embrace every inch of my human existence with unconditional compassion
• I see my struggles as an opportunity to grow
• I radiate joy, abundance and love

4. Get still

Sitting in silence is the best way to quieten your mind and show yourself self-care and self-love by slowing down. So much chatter goes on up there, so sitting in stillness for just 10 minutes each day will do you the world of good.

Sit in a way that you feel comfortable, close your eyes and become aware of your body, your beating heart (and the way it beats automatically). Become aware of your body sensations starting from the top of your body (your head) right down to the bottom (your toes). Feel it all without judging or forming an opinion about yourself, sometimes this may be hard to do especially if you are unhappy with yourself, your image, and you may be lacking self-confidence. Just be present in this moment in time with your body and your spirit. Thank your body for supporting you through thick and thin, even though sometimes you may treat it poorly. Touch your skin and be grateful you have this beautiful protective layer guarding your body at all times. Give yourself a big hug by wrapping your arms around your body.

5. Get out into nature

Sometimes committing to more time in nature is not always an easy option or some, but it can be as simple as lying on a patch of grass which will be extremely grounding and a way that someone can get in touch with nature. I also love to surround my house with house plants too for that touch of greenery! 

• Wake up for sunrise and let the sun kiss your beautiful skin
• Dive into the ocean and go for a salty ocean swim
• Go for a walk in the park or on the beach
• Go camping outdoors for a day or two
• Spend time by a waterfall (and hundreds of negative ions!)
• Go for a hike in the mountains or in a National Park

6. Practice Gratitude

Gratitude and self-love go hand in hand. Practicing gratitude daily can help shift your mind from a negative to a positive state, and expressing gratitude can help boost self-esteem which in turn will help strengthen self-love. Other benefits of expressing gratitude include improving psychological health, increases empathy, improves social connections, reduces aggression, and improves mental strength.

Try these:

• Before waking up out of bed each morning or closing your eyes at night, speak out as many things you can that you are grateful for
• Start a gratitude journal, each day write 5-10 things that you are grateful for
• Make a gratitude part of your family life, share something you are grateful for with each other during meal time
• Post images or reminders that remind you to be grateful around your house
• Fill a jar or box with things that you are grateful for, if you ever need a pick-me-up then take a few notes out of the jar as a reminder of what is good in your life

7. Relax with some herbal tea

Relaxing with some herbal tea is such a simple self-care ritual.
I love to sip on some herbal tea whilst sitting in the sunshine reading a good book. Drinking tea, for me, is very calming and relaxing and makes me slow down and connect.

I love adding herbs such as chamomile, lavender, rose, licorice and elderflower together and creating a ‘self-love herbal tea blend’

8. Listen to happy music (even dance!)

Music and dance is one of the best self-love and self-care tools. I love to create a happy joyful playlist with all of my favourite songs that make me fell good and happy. As music is a powerful memory stimulant and can evoke strong emotions, it is important to choose and listen to music that has a positive association for you.

I’m definitely no professional dancer and you don’t have to be, just pop on some of your favourite tunes and dance intuitively in any way that feels good for you as freedom of movement and as a form of self expression. I also love to put on some music when I’m with my friends to have our very own dance party!

9. Take a relaxing bath and pamper yourself

Baths are one of my favourite self-care and self-love rituals complete with a beautiful relaxing essential oil (like lavender) diffusing right next to me. This is a time to create a sacred time and space for yourself and immersing your body in water can be deeply relaxing.

I use my bath rituals as a time to dry brush my skin as a pre-bath preparation, apply a face mask or hair mask (or both!), put on some relaxing music, and take some time to unwind.

Some tips for creating a relaxing and healing bathroom ritual:

• Unscented candles or essential oils in a diffuser
• Palo santo or sage to clear the space
• Bath salts. I love adding Amazing Oils Magnesium Bath Flakes into my baths if it’s of an evening.
• Body oil
• Face mask
• Hair mask

10. Connect with a loved one

Spending time with friends and loved ones that lift you up, support you, inspire you, and want the best for you is so important.

Connecting with loved ones who love and support me is one of the best ways to fill up my self-love cup. It’s like a green smoothie for my soul and spirit. When I connect with my loved ones, sometimes they remind me that I have all of the love, strength, beauty and power within me, and then I can also reflect this back to them.

Other reasons why connecting with and spending time with loved ones can help flex your self-love muscle:

• They help to celebrate good times and provide support during not so good times
• They can help boost our mood and self-esteem
• Friendships and connections promote a sense of belonging
• Friends can encourage healthy behaviours

Do you have any favourite self-care or self-love rituals? Feel free to share in the comments below.. We would LOVE to hear them. Also feel free to share this blog post with a friend or loved one as it could radically inspire them today to fill there own self-love cup up!