Happy February lovelies!
I know that talking about love during February is kind of cliche and cheesy, but what the heck! It is the month of love, and although every month should arguably be about love, this is the month that Hallmark tells us is about love, so we're going with it. If you have a special someone, beautiful! So happy for you (so long as they're treating you like a princess or prince), but you still need time to yourself! If you're single, let's celebrate the love we give and receive from our friends, pets, families, the earth, God, and ourselves!
Jump for joy!!!!! Love is for everyone! <33333
So, self love... what the heck is it anyway?
I have come to find that a lot of people aren't practicing self love because they don't really understand what it means to love themselves. The truth is, it shouldn't have just one definition. Self love is multifaceted. I find it best to relate it to the love you show a pup or kitty. You show them love by giving them pets, cuddling them, buying them a new toy when you see one that reminds you of them. But you also feed them and pick up their poop. That stuff often feels more like a chore, but you know that it helps the wellbeing of your pet. It is still care and love for your pet and they feel that. Similarly, we can show ourselves self love by taking a bath, going for a walk in nature, or getting ourselves a sweet treat, and we can also show ourselves love by having a hard conversation with a friend, asking for a much needed raise, or breaking up with someone who isn't treating us right. If you'll notice, it is the things that are harder and less favorable to do that leave a bigger, more meaningful impact. But the fun, cutesy stuff is great too. ;)
Slow and steady wins the race: How to begin practicing-
Pressuring yourself to take a bath when you never take baths, is never going to work. Your water will probably even run tepid just because you have an attitude and that is a whole other type of frustration lol! Trust me, I've learned the hard way.
Here are a couple small ways to practice self love-
- pick yourself a flower.. or a cool rock/shell/leaf
- listen to whatever the heck you want to
- drink your water out of a pretty glass
- give yourself a compliment in the mirror
- give yourself a hug
- make funny faces in the mirror until you laugh
When you start making small changes in your habits, they will turn into bigger ones. Picking yourself a flower can lead to buying yourself flowers at the store or farmers market. Giving yourself a hug can turn into moving your body on a daily basis for at least 30 minutes. Small steps lead to big results. And they are actually more important if you want to keep them. So do something small and manageable and just see where it takes you.
"But its hard to remember"... Why its important
There are many reasons people refrain from practicing self love or forget to do it. There are many excuses why not to, so I'm going to combat those with reasons to do so.
Excuse #1 "I'm too busy"
If you keep running yourself rampant in all different directions without taking a break, you will experience burnout, a bad attitude, or may breakdown sick. Burnout and illness will put you back even further. And a bad attitude may tamper with business relationships or friendships leading to a thorn in your life. Not worth it. Take a night to stay in, watch a movie with some tea or a glass of wine and just chill. Or instead of scrolling, put your phone down, go take some deep breathes outside and reset.
Excuse #2 "Self love is a treat. It's for special occasions only"
Do your parents only deserve love on special occasions? How about your friends? Kids? Nieces/nephews? pets? Noooo, of course not! So why are you not important enough to receive love? NEWS FLASH, you are!
Excuse #3 "I don't want to seem conceded. Others need more love than I do."
I know it feels hard to put yourself first when you have people who depend on you, but remember, you can't pour from an empty cup. In order to show up for the people in your life at your best, you have to nurture yourself and get yourself filled up so that you can pour out. :)
I hope that these can help you a little better to understand the importance of taking care of yourself and showing yourself some love. You can start as simply as possible. Have your friends and family join you sometimes too! Let's normalize practicing self love with people. Friends who pamper themselves together, stick together ;)
Enjoy your loving <3
Xo, Sophie
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