Self- Love

Do you guys ever feel uninspired, blah, or simply stuck? The feeling that the whole world around you is moving forward and you’re just living day in and day out kind of stuck in a revolving door? That’s where I’m at. and that’s why there was no post last week. I set out to start this blog as a place for me to share my life with you, to humor you, and to inspire you, but when I’m feeling uninspired myself it’s hard to gear myself up to go forth and inspire other people, so for that I’m sorry, but I hope that you understand.

So, now back to that- I’ve been in a rut. It’s a strange thing. I know that the work that I do is worthwhile, I’m surrounded by wonderful family and friends, and I am feeling love from so many people, so why do I feel just blah? Well, I’ve been reflecting on this SO much lately, and what I’ve realized is that although I’m feeling love from so many sources, I’m not actively engaging in self-love. I’m not living my days acknowledging that I am worthy of love and that I have so much to offer to the world.

I’m sharing this with you because I feel that so many of you likely feel the same way. It’s SO easy for me to think that other people are courageous, beautiful, smart, kind, inspiring, or simply special, but it’s really hard for me to realize that about myself. Anyone agree? So, I’ve come up with a list of 6 things that I’m going to try to start doing to show myself some love, and hopefully get me to a place where I can see myself through the same lens that other people do, and I hope you join me on this journey.

1. Start each morning with a prayer of Thanksgiving- thank God for anything you’re feeling thankful for but take it an extra step and thank him for one thing about you that you appreciate. Are you funny, easy to talk to, kind, imaginative, creative, having a good hair day, a really good ice cream eater? Whatever it is, you didn’t get that trait on your own, so acknowledge it then throw the big man some thanks for it. 
2. TAKE A DEEP BREATH- when you’re feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or simply just blah, take a second to take a breath, and tell yourself that you are doing just fine. Because the truth is, you are.
3. Make yourself proud- have you been wanting to try a new workout class? get back into reading? send a hard text message? clean out a closet? confront a friend? try a new recipe? whatever it is, DO IT. do one thing everyday to make you proud of you. Then take it a step further and recognize how doing this thing made you feel- if it made you feel good, work to make it a habit.
4. Compliment you- anytime you think something positive about someone else, I challenge you to think something positive about yourself too. Like I said, it’s so easy to compliment other people and to think positive things about them, but we are deserving of some lovin’ too!
5. Be Mindful- Take a few minutes out of your day to make yourself aware of what you think, feel, and want. Being aware of these things will enable you to act in a more genuine, more purposeful way. This takes approximately 2 minutes, try it while you brush your teeth in the AM!
6. Forgive Yourself- We all have our moments we are proud of as well as those that we want to hide under a basket and never think about again, but guess what, that’s okay. It makes us human. In order to love yourself, you have to love every part of you, including your lows. So, what’s that mean? Take some time to acknowledge what is bothering you about you, to recognize that you may have made a bad decision, to confess to yourself that you may have used hurtful words or thought detrimental thoughts, and then actively move on from it. Forgive yourself then turn the page and start anew.

So that’s it my friends, those are the 6 things that I’m going to try to do to show myself some extra love or to get myself to a place where I’m able to do that. I hope that you’ll join me in employing some of these things in your daily life! Also, I want you all to remember- the same God that made the stars and the trees and the entire world thought the world needed a YOU, how special is that?! You are SO worthy of love, so let that love for you start with you.

Have a great week my friends ❤ I love you all.