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by Jessica Hoch February 07, 2019
The way we are able to love ourselves sets the tone for the way we love others and essentially the way we show others how to love us. If we treat ourselves with little care it is opening the door for others to think it’s ok to treat us with little care. That being said the opposite holds true as well. If we hold our standards of love for ourselves high then others learn to treat you with that same amount of love and care. Like attracts like.
As a mother of two boys this is very important to me to show them self love and how to give and receive not only love, but also compassion, empathy and forgiveness for others and themselves. In order to teach them these qualities in life I feel a responsibility to embody them myself. Not always something easily done especially when it comes to practicing these qualities towards myself. It can be much easier to give love, compassion and forgiveness for others that it is to give it to ourselves and in turn receive it from others. Below is a little starter list on how to practice more self love in our lives.
5 Ways to Practice Self Love
- Speak nicely to yourself.
Take a few moments in the morning when you wake up to say something nice about yourself to yourself. The practice of gratitude opens our hearts to love and when we focus towards ourselves this is a beautiful way to start the day. - Surround yourself with people who love you.
Jim Rohn says we are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with. Are they a support network of love for you when it feels hard to love yourself? Or do they drain you? Having a loving supportive community around you is a wonderful way to remind yourself of love. - Get rid of FOMO (fear of missing out) and comparison.
Comparison is the thief of joy. With social media showcasing everyone’s highlight reels it can be easy to jump on the comparison train. If you find yourself getting caught up in comparing yourself to others online or even in groups of friends, try to remove yourself from the situation for a little while. Unplug, breathe and reconnect to the love and gratitude that exists within. - Create a self care ritual.
Many of us have the love language of quality time. Give some of that quality time to yourself. This could be pampering yourself at the spa, enjoying a cup or tea, a healthy meal alone or even decluttering your house Marie Kondo style. Or, it could even be a morning ritual that reconnects you to yourself in a loving and compassionate way – abhyanga massage is a wonderful example of this. This is also a wonderful way to connect to your body in a loving and nourishing way. - Have compassion and grace for yourself when you screw up.
We all inevitably say something or do something in our lives that we wish we didn’t. We can be our own harshest critics particularly when we think we’ve done something wrong. Take a deep breathe, acknowledge how you feel and then bless and release the situation with the same amount of compassion and forgiveness you would show those you love.
Wishing you a loving and compassionate day ~ Jessica