It’s February, which means Valentine’s Day is upon us. The shelves at every store are filling up with heart-shaped chocolate boxes, pink and red are everywhere, and people are either trying to make romantic plans with their significant other, or hibernating until Valentine’s Day is over.But this Valentine’s Day, regardless of whether you’re single or in a relationship, take the focus off of a romantic relationship, and consider the relationship you have with yourself. Valentine’s Day only comes around once a year, but by learning to love yourself daily can change your life for the better.
Self-care can be defined as the actions that one takes to protect their overall happiness and well-being. What someone considers self-care can look different from person to person, but there are many ways to love and take care of yourself mentally and physically.Practicing self-care on a regular basis will help to decrease your stress, improve your health, and increase your happiness.Here a just a handful of our favorite ways in which you can love yourself on a daily basis (including on Valentine’s Day):
[mkd_blockquote text='"My life has been filled with terrible misfortune; most of which never happened." -- Michel de Montaigne' title_tag="h2" width=""]We all have a seemingly never ending stream of thoughts on a daily basis, and studies show that a great majority of those thoughts are negative. However, researchers found that 85% of the things that people worried about never happened, of the 15% that did happen, 79% of the subjects stated the outcome turned out better than they expected, or the difficulty taught them a worthwhile lesson. This means that 97% of what we worry about comes from a negative, exaggerated frame of mind.Make a pointed effort to think more positive thoughts. Show gratitude for all the little things in your life, like the beautiful weather, the time you get to spend with friends, your health, etc. Focus on your strengths, focus on what you like about yourself. Make decisions that help boost your confidence. Instead of letting negativity, worry, and self-criticisms enter your head, replace it with a positive thought. Recite positive affirmations to yourself over and over until they become your truth!
Meditation practices aim to help improve the overall health of your mind, body, and soul. Meditation can realign your emotional, physical, and spiritual health that may be off-balance. You can practice meditation for however long or short amount of time that you wish. It doesn’t always have to be a long process. You can take a quick 5 minutes wherever you are to take a breath and clear your mind.Daily meditation can have greater health benefits, such as reducing stress, blood pressure, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Meditation can also help improve your heart health, immune system, sleep patterns, and overall mindset.
Instead of comparing yourself with others or focusing on what you’re not...be confident about where you are now. Be proud of yourself for any and every bit of progress you’ve made. Pat yourself on the back for being closer to your goals today than you were yesterday.Self-confidence is the driving force of success in many aspects of life. It motivates you to work harder to achieve your goals. In turn, achieving those goals adds to your confidence even more, creating a beautiful cycle that generates growing levels of confidence and success.
We tend to focus on what we dislike about our body image, but we really have so much to love and be grateful for. I’m sure you can think of at least one or two things that you like about yourself. Whatever it is, acknowledge it and continue to find other parts of yourself that you loveOur bodies work hard to serve us every day. Show gratitude for every effort your body takes to move and fuel you. Thank your strong legs for carrying you from place to place. Appreciate the heart’s hard work in pumping blood throughout your body. Be grateful to the hands that help you work, feed yourself, clothe yourself, etc. Give thanks to your mouth that helps you connect and communicate with others. This will help you grow in greater appreciation for the wonderful body you have.
One of the best ways you can love and respect yourself daily is by eating well. Eating healthier will improve how you feel, but physically and mentally. Your choice of food affects your weight and physical health, but it also prevents you from feeling excess stress or fatigue. Healthy nutrition can give you more energy, make you feel better, and prevent cravings and overeating.
When you are consistently active, the levels of good cholesterol in your body increase, unhealthy triglycerides decrease. This combination keeps your blood flowing smoothing, decreasing your risk of cardiovascular diseases.Exercise stimulates certain chemicals and neurotransmitters in your brain that leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. Not only can physical activity promote positive moods, it can also alleviate depression, anxiety, and stress.Exercising also increases the release of endorphins, which have been shown to increase feelings of euphoria after a workout. Many of our personal training clients report that they feel better about themselves and their lives after their sessions. Consistent physical activity can help you embrace your love for your body and appearance, and boost your confidence in your self-image. An increase in these positive feelings can give you a more positive outlook on your life overall!
Indulge in whatever makes you happy! Whether it's treating yourself to a massage, taking yourself out to your favorite restaurant, getting a pedicure, or curling up on the couch to read a book, you deserve it! Make a list of ten ways that you could pamper yourself, and try to work in a couple of them into your monthly routine. Show yourself some well-deserved love and self-care by treating yourself to your favorite things!
