Did you know that you could find 7 Ways to love yourself today? You could actually find more but 7 is an amazing start. When I speak to audiences or write about self-love I always share my definition of it. To me, self-love is about being more committed to your happiness than to your suffering in every single moment. I realized this when I was in the depths of the most challenging years of my journey with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
I would wake up in such intense pain, frustration and disappointment around the way my body was showing up. Flaky skin, painful joints and basically feeling like I had the chickenpox all day everyday. Brutal doesn’t even begin to describe how challenging these years of my life were. But I realized early on that although I couldn’t control my circumstances I always had a choice with what I chose to focus on and how I decided to show up in my life.
I pushed myself to find joy and peace in the tiniest of moments and it really did change my daily experience. Because I was confined to my bed for a lot of this time or unable to go that far on my own, I had to get really creative and think of the simplest acts that are easy to access no matter what your time, budget or circumstances are. So let’s get this love-fest started, shall wel?!
You wake up and are ready to get your day started. Whether you typically jump out of bed in a total rush or slowly wake not really wanting to get up, I want you to start with an act of self-love before you even leave your bed.
Self-Love Act #1 – While keeping your eyes closed I want you to set a beautiful intention for your day. My intention is often something simple but meaningful to me like, I set the intention to be guided towards my best and highest self. To meet the people I am meant to meet and allow the flow of life to lead me today. I invite you to feel into the moment and let yourself choose what is present for you right when you wake up.
Then you find your way to the bathroom and it’s time to brush your teeth, wash your face and do the normal boring stuff we all have to do multiple times a day. But today, I want you to add something different to this routine.
Self-Love Act #2 – Switch up your skincare products to add in ones that are truly loving for your precious skin so that this routine is filled with love. I recently started using the Dove DermaSeries collection and I am honestly obsessed with it. The collection was created for people with dry skin (like me!) and so every time I use it I feel like I am using something designed for my skin. It also has no fragrances, no soap, no sulfates and no steroids which makes it easy to add to your daily routine.
Self-Love Act #3 – As you wash your face in the morning, I want you to say an affirmation in your mind. You can create your own, but the one I love saying the most for this exercise is “I wash away any stress, fear or anxiety that might be holding my back. I choose love for myself and others in this moment.”
Then you get your day really going, get dressed, have a nourishing breakfast and head on out the door. By this time, you should already be feeling more grounded and centered just from the moments of self-love you have been incorporating since you woke up. Can you feel the difference? I hope so!
Self-Love Act #4 – Something I love to do is to pack nourishing beauty products in my purse for me to use throughout the day so I want you to try that today, too! Currently I have the Dove DermaSeries Face Cream in my purse and I even put a little on before I threw it in my bag this morning. My skin gets super dry as I am walking around throughout my day, that New York City cold is no joke! So whenever I am feeling a little frazzled or stressed in my day and starting to feel a tightness on my skin, I can pull out my face cream and connect to myself again just by applying the cream on a few patches of my face for a little self-love break. It’s amazing what a small but conscious action like this can do and the face cream always makes me feel so refreshed!
As we go throughout our days it’s easy to get swept away by the countless emails, work calls and fires we have to put out. Whether you’re a full time mom, an entrepreneur in hustle mode or clocking in at a 9-5, it’s an effort for all of us to stop and take time to be loving towards ourselves. It is also super easy to get caught-up with all of the dramas of our own lives that we forget to reach out and love others intentionally too. It’s been a powerful practice for me to give love to others as a way to also allow more love into my life.
Self-Love Act #5 – This is where we take a moment from focusing on ourselves so much and actually reach out and love someone else. Take a midday break and text, email or call 3 people that you love and let them know how much they mean to you. Yup. I am not kidding! I send texts to people I love often, just saying something simple like “Hi love! Was just thinking about you and wanted you to know I am so grateful we are friends. I love you so much and hope you have the best day!!” That might not be something you would ever write, so chose something that’s more aligned with you and your friendships, but reach out and send 3 people love either way. You won’t regret it!
Now you’re ready to head on home and finish your day with as much love as you started it with. No matter what has happened throughout the day, you’ve already created so many loving experiences for yourself that your self-love tank is most likely pretty full by this point. I am so incredibly excited for you and we aren’t even done yet! Also, if you are still feeling a little low on self-love after all these different moments, don’t beat yourself up for it. Everyone is starting from their own unique place and you’re doing great no matter what you’re feeling. I promise.
Self-Love Act #6 – When I get home I usually change into something comfy and take a few moments to write about my day so I want you to try this out and see how it feels. I like to set the tone for my evenings and let them be intentionally separate from the rest of my day. My evenings are just for me, my process and to truly nourish myself after running around all day. Being someone who has really struggled with my health over the years, treating my evenings as sacred has been a game-changer for me. Spend at least 15 minutes writing about what happened that day and then end with listing at least 3 things that you are grateful for in that moment. Some days it feels hard to think of things if it was a tough day but even on the most challenging of days there is always something we can express gratitude for.
The day is almost done and we have found SIX different ways to love ourselves so far – how cool is that?! I am certainly feeling the love and although my day is always filled with loads of ups and downs, implementing these practices has helped me so much over the years. Now for the last act of self-love before we sleep!
Self-Love Act #7 – Before bed, I want you to choose one part of your body that you are going to give extra love and attention to. I started this practice when I was really struggling with my psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. I noticed that the last thing I wanted to do was to focus on my body because I was so angry with it and I was always wishing that it was different, that I had smoother skin and stronger joints. But when I finally took time to be with the body I did have, everything changed for me. So tonight, as you pick that part of your body to focus on, find a nourishing balm or lotion to massage into that part of your body as you tell it how much you love it. I do this with my feet a lot and love applying the Dove DermaSeries Repairing Balm and then putting on comfy socks. So cozy! My sweet feet have been through so much, they deserve the extra love.
Self-Love BONUS: Once you’re all set at home and in total relaxation mode, it can be easy to get sucked in to our social media feeds. Do you ever find yourself scrolling through instagram for an hour and you barely even realized you were on your phone? I have so been there! That’s why I strive to only follow and engage with social media in a way that feels uplifting and positive. Recently, I participated in Dove DermaSeries’ @InOurOwnSkin Instagram community and declared what makes me feel the most empowered #InMyOwnSkin. After all, that’s what self-love really is about at the end of the day! So hop on over to the Instagram page and get inspired by all of the powerful voices sharing their truth. I also invite you to create your own image with how you feel in your own skin and tag @InOurOwnSkin while using the hashtag #InMyOwnSkin. I can’t wait to see what you create!
I hope you enjoyed spending this love-filled day with me. I know that every person reading this blog deserves all the love in the world and I also know that the love has to start from yourself. It’s been one of the most challenging and empowering lessons of my life. I hope this helps you understand how to create tangible self-love in any moment. You got this!
Now I want to hear from you. Are there other tangible ways that you add self-love to your day? Share them with me in the comments below, I would love to get more ideas! Or are you struggling with a particular action item from our day together? Share that with me in the comments, I am here to support you through it. Love you, so much.