Loving ourselves is arguably the hardest form of love to give. After all, we know our own shortcomings all too well and it can gnaw at our soul, haunting us throughout the day. It’s all too easy for the lack of self-love to distract us from being our best self, dragging us down by thinking that “I’m not good enough, I’m not doing enough, I’ll never amount to anything..” To those self-deprecating noises, we’d say rubbish.
While failing to love ourselves can be detrimental to our self-esteem, productivity, and even interpersonal relationships, it’s very possible to turn that self-hate into self-love. One of the more common forms of self-love that we often neglect is to take better care of our own body. Not knowing when to take a break, or not taking enough breaks when our body is begging us to stop, could be driven by the noise in our head that’s urging us that we’re not enough. No, you are enough, more than enough.
So, give yourself a break with some cozy routines to mend your weary heart.
Saying that your heart plays a big part in keeping your body and mind running at peak condition is not an understatement. Think of it as a foundation of a building; if the foundation is shaky, the building itself won’t be safe to live in and will only cause more worries down the road if you still decide to stay. Let’s discuss some of the main benefits that self-love brings to the table:
You’ll be tougher, both physically and mentally
When things seem tough, taking it easy is appropriate to give ourselves room to breathe. When laziness seems to set in, however, self-discipline and being harder on ourselves are also a form of self-love; love is, after all, intended to bring the best outcome for someone, whether through a proper break or more discipline.
Without a happy heart, it’ll be much harder to enjoy a break and to muster the necessary resolve to be more disciplined when necessary.
After all, a healthy body and a healthy mind are inseparable from each other in creating holistic wellness.
You’ll feel happier
There’s a common misconception that self-love translates into a weaker self. This is a dangerous idea, because enduring everything that life might throw at us is not a strength, it’s a trap that’ll slowly numb our mind to unhappiness and will treat it as a good thing.
If you love yourself, you’ll know when to draw the line when it’s needed to be assertive and to say “no, that’s bad” or “no, that’s enough.” As you love yourself more, you’ll learn to not tolerate abuse, to not neglect your own needs, and to actually feel proud and happy for being yourself.
Giving you the room to grow
As you leave the toxic relationship with yourself, self-growth is the beautiful thing that follows suit along the road. Leaving a bad habit behind, for example, will open up rooms for new skills and better habits to flourish. Another common scenario is when you start to love your own body, you’ll be confident enough to actually exercise outside or at a gym, which can snowball into incorporating a better lifestyle as well as a better social life. Accepting our shortcomings is a major part of self-love that’s essential for self-growth.
Take a walk in nature
Forest bathing or Shinrin-yoku is a great way to destress. Whether you’re taking a walk in the morning, during lunch break, or after office hours, the serenity of the forest rejuvenates your body and mind greatly.
Take a hot bath
The benefits of a hot bath have been widely embraced as one of the ultimate comforts one can afford without leaving the house. You can make it extra special by adding bath additions, such as onsen tablets or using a natural body scrub that exfoliates your skin while nourishing you inside and outside.
Morning meditation
Try to do a 5-minute meditation in the morning to truly prepare you for a new day. Sit down comfortably, close your eyes, breathe slowly, repeat a positive word in your mind, and let your body breathe the stress from the previous day out.
Lounge in something nice and comfortable
There’s something really nice when we take our work uniform off and don a cozy outfit. Maybe it’s a fluffy pyjama, a silky-smooth nightie, or something as simple as a baggy tee. By wearing your comfy clothing at home, it’ll help to truly disconnect from work and to mark the starting line for your moments to relax and unwind.
Set aside enough time for a quality sleep
Lack of sleep directly translates into sluggishness, both in body and mind. Your body needs an adequate amount of quality sleep, so don’t deprive it of its needs. You can put your phone away from your pillow at night to keep the temptation of scrolling around until dawn.
To enhance your sleep quality, you can apply Enchanting Body Oil that’ll help you relax while rejuvenating your skin as you drift into slumber.
Practice being grateful
Spend 5 minutes a day to make a list of things that you’re grateful for throughout the day. Maybe you had a good sleep? Write it down. You were healthy enough to drive through a traffic jam to work? That’s certainly something to be thankful for! By focusing on the positives that you have instead of dwelling on what you don’t have, it’ll turn into a powerful force that allows you to feel happy even when things aren’t perfect.
Give journaling a try
Keeping a pen and a notebook on your nightstand is an easy way to give your mind a chance to destress before bedtime. Just jot down or sketch whatever you’re keeping inside of your mind, it’ll help you to vent the stress out, which in turn will help you sleep better. Don’t worry too much about writing something poetic or extra nice, just let your anxiety flow together with the ink onto the paper.
Pamper the body with a nice, gentle massage
Everybody could use a good massage, especially after a hard day at work. Show your appreciation for your own body by giving your hands, feet, and face a soft massage. You can use massage tools, such as a Gua Sha or Tsubo-Oshi to hit that relaxation pressure point and melt into bliss, and massage creams to soothe your hands and feet, relieve tension, and nurture the skin.
Spend time with loved ones
Yes, reconnecting with your family and friends can be a powerful tool to keep yourself in a more positive state. Whether it’s through a phone call, a special night out, or simply playing with your children or a pet, that feeling of being connected is a big booster for our mood.
Some people might think that being hard on themselves is a virtuous thing to do, something that a strong person would do. However, a really strong person will know when to take a step back to recuperate, as perseverance without temperance isn’t a sign of strength, it’s a sign of foolishness. Taking the time and giving your heart a much-needed break isn’t hard to do in our daily life, as long as we have the courage to acknowledge that having a moment to pamper ourselves is the right thing to do.
If you’re looking for more reading materials on how to incorporate self-love anddaily self care routines into your day, there’re many quality reads waiting for you in Shikohin’s Universe.
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