3 THINGS TO DO TO SHOW SELF-LOVE

“When nobody else celebrates yourself, learn to celebrate yourself. When nobody else compliments you, then compliment yourself. It’s not up to other people to keep you encouraged. It’s up to you. Encouragement should come from the inside.”

- Joel Olsteen

Have you ever been to Disneyland during the winter season?

If you have then you know exactly how hectic and busy it is. Even though we feel like we have it all together, our lives can look like that. Have you ever felt so completely overwhelmed because you have 5,293 and a half things to do? I have! It’s not fun! When things like this happen it’s hard to stay focused. This is why it is important to show ourselves self-love, so we don’t let things get to that point. Let’s talk about 3 things we can do to show self-love.

1. Focus on the moment.

Sometimes we may feel like the energizer bunny. Going 700 miles an hour and never stopping. A bad habit I have is focusing on tomorrow or the activities I have coming up, I tend to do this because I like to stay organized. While that may be a great attribute, it is important that once we have our schedules organized to focus on the moment. If you are out on lunch, instead of focusing on all the things you have to do that day, focus on what you are doing in the moment and take every second and soak it in. Focus solely on that moment, whether you are eating a delicious burrito or a very healthy salad, whatever it may be, focus on what you are doing and leave worries on the side. This will help you relax your body and mind and make you overall more focused on whatever it is that you may need to be focused on.

2. Give yourself a day off.

Even if you feel like you have a thousand things on your plate and you cannot afford a day off.

Take it, you need it! When you are able to do something you wanted to do, only for you, you will be able to think clearly. Sounds crazy, I know! But try it. Sometimes we need to take a break from everything we have to do, to realize our priorities, appreciate what we have and open up our minds to trying something new, if what we have been trying hasn’t been working. If you ever feel like you are mentally blocked or just overwhelmed, take a little more time to yourself and you will see the amazing things that happen when you put yourself first. It is not selfish, it is showing yourself love.

3. Declutter your mind and space.

Decluttering can be as simple as going through a stack of papers and deciding what you still need and don’t need. You can clean your home, that might sound very complicated if you haven’t done so in a while! But start with small areas first when you have the time, then eventually you will be able to see you have cleaned it all. It’s a great feeling. Declutter the things in your life that you feel are weighing you down. Are there people in your life you feel like all they do is bring you down and are a cloud on your sunny day? Eliminate them politely. Surround yourself with things that make you feel loved. If you are constantly having ants (automatic negative thoughts) running through your head, take a minute to talk to yourself and deny the thoughts and express how amazing you are. In psychology, this technique is called verbal affirmation. Try it! It will truly make a difference.

I’ll leave you with a joke.

It wasn't difficult for me to run. It was really difficult for me to stop suddenly, which is probably why not only once, not only twice, but 13 times, I ran through my parents' patio screen door.

If we are constantly on the run we won’t appreciate the view or ourselves and eventually we will run through the patio door. Show self-love and it will make the world of a difference in your attitude, your perspective, your happiness, and who you are as a person. Don’t let the stress of life overcome you. Take control of your by taking control of yourself first.