For many of us, self-love might sound like a luxury rather than a necessity — or a new-age fad for those with too much time on their hands.
Ironically, however, self-care and -compassion might actually be needed most by those of us who work too hard and who are constantly striving for perfection.
Most of the time, when we’re being too hard on ourselves, we do it because we’re driven by a desire to excel and do everything right, all the time. This entails a lot of self-criticism, and sometimes an inner voice that constantly tells us how we could’ve done things better.
How do I know if I need to work on self love?
Listen to your self. Take time to think about how your feeling both mentally and physically. Maybe your feeling run down and burnt out? Maybe your feeling full of energy and buzzing! Maybe your feeling mentally good but physically weak? Whatever it may be, that is your starting point.
If your feeling run down and burnt out maybe take some time out. A day or so off work, treat yourself to a massage or facial. If your feeling energetic then use that energy to do the things you love to do and make the most of it! Like go rock climbing or whatever it may be. If your feeling mentally strong but physically weak then maybe its time to find a good gym program to get into and help your body by making it strong and fit!
There are so many areas of self-love that you can address (self-kindness, self-compassion, etc), here are our top 10 picks when it comes to self-love and healthy living.
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Get outdoors without your phone for 20mins
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Drink 2-3litres of water a day
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Go to the gym at least 3 times a week
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Have at least a mix of 3-5 different vegetables a day.
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Do something you love to do at least 1-2x a week (Shop/nails/beach)
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Write your 3 favourite things you love most about yourself.
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Give yourself a sleep in at least once a week
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Read 10 pages of a book you enjoy/ per day
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Send a message to one of your friends and tell them something you love about them.
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Swim in the ocean.
