The “Self-Love” Recipe

Sooooo, what’s all this jazz about “Self-Love?” Well, I’m super stoked that you asked. In this day and age, where we are inundated with tons and tons of images circulating through social media, we may find it difficult to truly define our own worth and value. I say this simply because these social media platforms display to us what success “should” look like and if we don’t meet the criteria, yep you guessed it right—our self-esteem will inevitably down-spiral. Here’s the twist though---Our self-esteem will only take a detrimental hit if and only if we didn’t already have a solid amount of SELF-LOVE to begin with. That said, I want to invite you on this journey, where I will straightforwardly provide you with 3 solid tips to ensure that your internal view of self is in a healthy place, as you navigate through this new age living. Ready??? Let’s go!!!

First and foremost (and probably the most complicated) is BE HONEST with yourself. All too often, we try so desperately to run from our truth, which leads to us not being connected to who we really are. In effort to increase self-love, we have to learn to connect to each part of ourselves (even the not so pretty ones) and embrace where we currently are. There’s no use in beating ourselves up for our current circumstances, which a lot of times leads to trying to find an escape from our own selves. Instead, learn to face your truth head on and if after doing so you realize that improvements are needed, do what you need to do.

The next ingredient in our self-love “recipe” is to PRACTICE GRATITUDE. If we were to actually take the time to focus more on the “good” within self instead of placing so much attention on our “not so appealing” parts, our self-esteem would definitely stand a greater chance to be enhanced. Take time to practice being grateful for who you ARE and the actual value that you bring to the world. No, you may not be the richest monetarily or you may even not have the flattest tummy like the influencer you’ve been following on Instagram here lately---Buuuttt you did make it your business to warmly smile at the grocery cashier yesterday, not knowing that your simple gesture helped her to not go home and take her own life. So though that aforementioned example may be a little farfetched, I just need you to get the point of finding the good within yourself even it looks different from the next person. Once you can find the “good,” find the GRATITUDE.

Last but certainly not least, I implore you to GIVE YOURSELF SOME GRACE. Here’s a history and science fact that we weren’t necessarily taught in grade school- Are you ready for it?? Cool, here it is: We WILL mess up in this life. There is no such thing as perfection and if you find yourself striving for that, do yourself a favor and stop at this very moment. Don’t get me wrong here though—we CAN strive for excellence but excellence does not always equate to perfection. We must give ourselves room to not always get it right. We must also understand that we are imperfect by design and that is actually quite alright. No need in going into a boxing ring where you’re your only opponent and come out with black eyes, sporting a new toothless smile. Stop beating your own self up. Give yourself some grace.

Though these tips are essentially straightforward, the actual application of them could be a different story. That said, it may be imperative for you to connect with an accountability partner (i.e. a Therapist, Spiritual Advisor, Life Coach, etc.) to assist you in navigating through these sometimes murky “self-love” waters. No matter what though, it’s time to get started! We all deserve to wake up each morning and quickly flip on our “self-love switch.” We were all fearfully and wonderfully made, which means we need to start behaving as such. So here’s what I will sign off with: Take all of your TRUTH, mixed in with a generous amount of GRATITUDE, while sprinkling in GRACE to your taste, to create limitless servings of SELF-LOVE… I’m rooting for ya!