Loving On Yourself
Loving on yourself can have many different meanings. It can include treating yo’self, indulging in two helpings of dessert, or taking time to reflect on your own. Valentine’s Day is notoriously known as the day of love, which usually means with your significant other or with your group of friends. But, why not change it, and make it a day to love on ourselves a bit more! We’ve worked hard, we are our toughest critics, and we don’t give ourselves enough credit. If you’re hustling out there and trying your hardest to be better than you were yesterday, you deserve a day to yourself.
Although we may not realize it, loving on ourselves is more than posting that selfie when you look damn good. It’s a lot more than waking up and getting in that work out when you’re tired! Loving on yourself takes a bit more time, a bit more patience, and a lot of reflection.
Have A “Me” Day
One of my aunts told me while growing up that she always has a “me” day once a month. Her “me” days were regular days where she’d “call in sick for work” and spend it loving on herself instead. Now, I definitely don’t recommend lying to your boss and calling out of work all the time for your “me” days, but once a month doesn’t hurt. Does it? Unless you’re really trying to save up those PTO days for vacation. If you can’t call out from work, or feel too guilty doing it, set aside a weekend or one day during the weekend for yourself. For me, I’m way too much of a chicken to do that! Instead, I set aside one full weekend dedicated to myself and what I want to do. That means no errands for other people, no chores unless necessary, and lots of time for myself.
During your “me” day, stay in bed all day, wake up early and do something different, or head out to a cafe! “Me” days are supposed to be filled with activities that bring you joy and refuel your energy. My mom will take “me” days where she does everything she doesn’t have time to do during working days, or she’ll have “sister” days with my aunt. These usually include lunch, catching up, and an afternoon of shopping. My “me” days are usually staying in bed until I feel hungry, heading out to a cafe for a nice brunch/lunch for myself, and blogging. Afterwards, I always feel refreshed and inspired to get back into work or life in general!
Bubble Baths Spa Treatments
Just kidding, I would never recommend anyone to take a bubble bath because I think they’re actually quite dirty. Instead, I am all for spa treatments! Manicures, pedicures, facials, massages, even a changed hair-do! You’d be surprised how these things can impact your mood. Since facials and massages are a bit out of my price range normally, I try to opt for manicures and pedicures. Grab a girlfriend and head out to the nearest nail salon or spa and treat yourself to a manicure and pedicure. And even if you can’t do both, I always choose pedicures. My feet are probably the least loved part of my body. I am always walking around, wearing heels, or have them wrapped in socks and a bit smelly. They need all the love they can get! Also, the massage you get, when having a pedicure, actually helps blood circulation and releases tension in your legs/feet. Skip the bubble bath, y’all, get a pedicure instead.
Take 20 minutes of reflection
This is one thing that I don’t do enough. I always try to have quite time for myself before I head off to work, because I know I will be busy all day. This usually doesn’t end up happening because I wake up way too late, I am in a rush, and I get sucked into social media. But, the times where I’ve had a solid 20 minutes of silence to myself are always welcome. When I am not in a rush, and wake up early enough, I make my breakfast and sit in silence. It sounds silly, to think about sitting in silence for 20 minutes, but the difference is tremendous. I sit still, don’t check my phone, and enjoy the time to reflect. If you can, and I highly recommend that you do, take 15-20 minutes of silence every day and be still. If you can’t do that, I also recommend writing in a journal, or sipping on tea or coffee. The golden rule: DON’T PICK UP YOUR PHONE!
Practice Gratitude
I was listening to a podcast the other day and it talked about the rule of scarcity versus the rule of having enough. The couple on the podcast talked about the differences between living out of “scarcity” and living out of the belief that you have enough. When we choose to live our lives through scarcity, we are in constant fear that there “isn’t enough”. This can apply to not having enough time, not having enough money, not being enough, etc. It ultimately takes a toll on how we run our lives, our businesses, and how we perceive ourselves.
On the other hand, living with the belief that what we have, is enough, changes our perspective. Instead of being scared that we don’t have enough or whatever we do won’t be enough, there is an underlying tone of gratitude while living our lives believing we have everything we need. The couple also mentioned that when we choose to live our lives with gratitude, we don’t have as much anxiety. We, alternatively, do things to enhance our lives and the lives of others. Practicing gratitude for the things we already have is so important. And although we are grateful for those things, it also doesn’t mean that we can’t stop working towards improving our lives and the lives of others.
Although there are some holidays specifically dedicated to show some extra affection, attention, and love to the people in our lives, I think the only day WE have is our birthday. Besides waiting an ENTIRE YEAR to celebrate yourself, start now by taking care of yourself, first! Self love can be hard to practice sometimes, and it’s something that I still struggle with. I am working to always have gratitude and more time to sit and reflect on my life and the direction I want to go. Personally, I end up always filling my schedule to the brim with activities and errands, that I forget penciling in a few extra minutes for myself. I’m working on giving myself 15-20 minutes EVERYDAY, from now on!
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How do you practice self love and care? Share in the comments below!
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Thanks for this comment, Ressa! (: I love “me days”, too, and also love sitting in public areas and just people watching! It is nice to sit in silence sometimes and not really think about things, but just enjoy your surroundings
I love your post! It’s so important to have self-care these days, and I’m all about having “me days” where I dine or explore downtown alone. Being alone in crowded, public areas is somewhat relaxing to me since I’m leisurely enjoying the scene instead of being around company.
-Ressa