The phrase “self-love” is floating around in the social media hemisphere at the moment. Flooding our Instagram and Tik-Tok feeds with viral social media posts telling us to love ourselves, social media influencers have been riding on the back of this trend for a while.
But do you know what it’s actually all about? Read on to find out.
What is self-love?
source: embracingyoutherapy.com
Self-love will have different meanings for everyone. Yet broadly speaking, in its most simple terms, self-love is a state of appreciation for oneself. By having a sense of self-love, you put your own health, wellbeing and happiness first. Rather than bending over backwards for other people, people that practice self-love take care of their own needs as a priority, without sacrificing wellbeing to keep others happy.
However, self-love comes in many different forms and it’s completely personal to you. Some ways you can practice self-love include:
- Prioritising yourself
- Trusting yourself
- Setting boundaries
- Forgiving yourself and practicing kindness
Why is self-love so important?
source: bbrfoundation.org
Self-love isn’t just something that’s nice to do, it’s actually good for your mental and physical health! And with one in four of us experiencing a mental health problem each year, it’s never been more important to try and enact change.
One of the most significant benefits of self-love is that it lowers your stress levels. By setting healthy boundaries, you can begin to lower the levels cortisol in your body, alleviating some of the symptoms of stress.
Self-love also helps you adopt healthier habits. If you avoid being too harsh on yourself, you’re more likely to make positive changes in your live, such as quitting smoking. Add into the mix that self-love can also boost your emotional resilience by putting life’s events into perspective, it’s easy to see why so many people have started prioritising their wellbeing.
How to cultivate self-love?
source: ordinarytraveler.com
So, we’ve sold you on practicing self-love. But how do you start? The good news is that getting going is relatively straightforward. Some of the best ways to cultivate self-love include:
- Steering away from perfectionism – if you constantly hold yourself to an extremely high standard, you’re more prone to feeling stressed. By taking pressure off yourself, you’ll be practicing self-love.
- Pay attention to what thoughts make you happy and which thoughts make you sad. By keeping this in mind, you can make an effort not to dwell on certain aspects of your life.
- Imagine your most confident self and take steps to become him or her – whether this is purchasing a brand-new lingerie set or buying some new skincare products, you’ll be sure to feel uplifted and cared for.
- Surround yourself with good people that have your best interests at heart. After all, your vibe attracts your tribe.
- Take care of your physical health. From getting your recommended 8 hours of sleep to exercising regularly, by taking care of your health you’ll be practicing self-love.
Final thoughts…
source: uncustomary.org
Although self-love can be challenging it’s really worthwhile as it benefits your mental and physical health. If you haven’t already started practicing self-love, what are you waiting for?
