Welcome to February. Love month. No matter your relationship status I hope you’ll embrace the mood of the month and celebrate YOURSELF. In order to live a healthy life full of vitality one important practice to maintain is one of self love.

But what is Self Love? Why does it matter? HOW do we practice it?

First let’s define what is SELF LOVE? Simply put self love is “A regard for one’s own well being and happiness”. It can also be defined as a deliberate act that you make in order to provide care and compassion for yourself, first and foremost.

WHY DOES IT MATTER? Self love is a form a mental health. When you practice self love you reduce feelings of depression, sadness, low self esteem . The practice of self love strengthens your resilience, allows you to experience greater happiness, increases your intrinsic motivation, and improves your overall mental health and wellbeing.

HOW DO WE PRACTICE IT? We begin by understanding that self love is internal, that it’s about a deeper connection with yourself. With this in mind you can see that it’s more than bubble baths, face masks, and feel good quotes. Self love is about getting in touch with your physical, emotional and spiritual needs and then making choices that honor those needs.

Here are a few ideas to help you start a self love practice:

Begin each day with these questions… How do I want to feel today? What type of person do I want to show up as in life? What do I need most right now? What do I have to do to accomplish these things? This helps you to set the tone for your day. To focus on what you need, and what matters most in life. It’s easy to get distracted by the small stuff and then we allow it turn into “big stuff” which creates overwhelm and stress. When you come back to these questions it helps to simply life.
Turn your phone OFF for 20 - 30 minutes a day and spend time with yourself. Go for a walk, read a book, spend time on a hobby. If you’re saying, “But Michelle I don’t have 30 minutes a day!” sis, this message was made for you. It’s important to realize that your health and wellbeing is important. It’s about prioritizing yourself first. This takes practice and intentional focus for many women. Put it in your schedule. Call it a staff meeting or any other thing that you wouldn’t bail out on. It’s THE most important thing. If you truly don’t have time check out the next bullet point…..
Learn to say no. As women we have been conditioned to be compliant people pleasers which often leaves us exhausted, stressed out and irritable. I know, as givers, caretakers, and nurturers saying no can be difficult. Saying no doesn’t make you rude, selfish or unkind. Your self worth is not determined by how much you do for other people. You are worthy BECAUSE YOU EXIST.

I hope you found this helpful. Do let me know what spoke to you and what self love looks like for you! I’d love to hear from you.

PS. of course a facial and bubble bath never hurt. xoxox

With love,

Michelle