Self-love is a critical aspect of personal growth and well-being. It refers to the practice of valuing and caring for oneself. This is essential to support our healing in mind, body, and soul. Without self-love and the practice of it, we will never be able to truly heal ourselves. We can only heal a body we love and not one we hate. In this post, we will discuss why self-love is important and how you can cultivate it in your life.
If you’re someone who’s working on healing your gut, hormones, mental health, or really anything, then this post is for you! I’m right there with you. I’ve been on my healing journey for about 8 years now and am still on it (especially after having a baby). There have been many days where I felt frustrated with my body.
“The guy next to me can eat cheeseburgers all day and feel fine but I eat a salad and feel bloated, uncomfortable, and get constipated?”
“Why do I have to have this hair on my chin and why does it get worse when I eat sugar but others eat sugar all day and have no facial hair or acne?”
“Why am I so sensitive and get sick every time I have alcohol or sugar but others can drink for days and still feel fine?”
Those are very real questions I’ve asked the universe and felt frustrated about. If any of those sound familiar then this post is for you.
Self-love is essential because it helps you build a healthy relationship with yourself. When you love and accept yourself, you become more confident, optimistic, and resilient. This can improve your overall happiness and well-being and help you heal much faster.
5 Ways to Cultivate Self-Love
- Practice gratitude: Taking time to focus on what you’re grateful for can help to shift your perspective and increase feelings of happiness and well-being. For example, instead of saying, “Why do I have to deal with this?” Say/write “I’m grateful for this body of mine for sustaining my life. I’m grateful for every organ system that works in synchrony to keep me alive and capable of doing things I enjoy doing.”
- Celebrate your successes: Take time to acknowledge and celebrate your successes, no matter how small they may be. This will help boost your self-esteem and reinforce all the positive things going on in your life. I.e. “I’m so proud of myself for creating this nourishing meal for myself and going to yoga today!”
- Be kind to yourself: Speak to yourself with kindness and compassion. Remember, what you think about, you bring about. What you think and say to yourself is wiring your neurochemistry. The sooner you catch negative thoughts and switch them the better you’ll feel.
- Surround yourself with positive influences: Setting boundaries is a key part of self-love. It’s important to surround yourself with people who support and uplift you. Avoid any relationships that bring you down as often as possible.
- Practice self-care: Self-care is more than bath bombs and face masks. Self-care is engaging in activities that bring you joy but do not do harm to your body. Things like reading, exercising, meditating, breathing, spending time with loved ones are all real types of self-care. Consuming alcohol, marijuana, social media, and sugar are not acts of self-care as they are toxic to our bodies.
In conclusion, self-love is a critical aspect of personal growth and well-being. By practicing gratitude, celebrating your successes, being kind to yourself, surrounding yourself with positive influences, and practicing self-care, you can cultivate a healthy relationship with yourself and improve your overall happiness and well-being.
Remember to love yourself this month of love and if you’re ready to further your healing beyond self-love, schedule a visit with us at Mahan Health. We’d love to support you in your healing!
