There’s nothing self-indulgent about self-love.
Taking some time out of your hectic schedule to refuel, refocus, and de-stress isn’t just about making yourself feel better. Learning to love yourself after a period of self-neglect will have a beneficial impact on almost every aspect of your life, from how others perceive you, to how you treat your loved ones, to how effectively you deal with unexpected obstacles.
If you’re feeling down about yourself and your circumstances, take the time to fall in love with yourself again. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Travel alone
When you’re stuck in a routine that’s slowly grinding you down, a change of scenery can do wonders.
Travelling alone is a great way to spend time with yourself away from your everyday commitments, helping your gain much needed perspective. When you aren’t travelling with somebody else you can take things at your own pace and do exactly what you want to do.
Whether it’s a day trip to a local beauty spot, or a month-long tour of Tuscany, you’ll return feeling refreshed.
Do something that scares you
If you’re always telling yourself what you can’t do, you start to view yourself as a timid, inadequate person.
Here’s a secret: you can do anything you want, and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone will show you the truth of that.
Take the exercise class that intimidates you, get on stage at karaoke night, or even book a skydive. Anything that makes your knees tremble and your heart beat faster is bound to give you a much needed jolt.
Reconnect with nature
People aren’t meant to spend their days surrounded by traffic jams and faceless skyscrapers. When your mood starts to dip, find a spare day, afternoon, or hour where you can surround yourself with greenery.
Spend your lunch break in the park, take the kids to the beach, or go on a camping trip. You’ll be amazed how much better you feel about yourself away from the grey drudgery of the city.
Meditate
You don’t have to spend money or even leave the house to find some peace. Getting to know your inner self is an essential step towards self-acceptance, and meditation is one of the best ways to do just that.
Contrary to popular belief, meditation isn’t about silencing your thoughts, but about sifting through them to find the root of your anxieties. Mindfulness exercises can also help conditions exacerbated by stress, like high blood pressure and inflammation.
There are plenty of helpful apps and websites which can help you begin.
Digital detox
It’s hard to get quality time to yourself when the entire world is in your pocket.
Most of us spend hours staring at a screen each day, which can be hugely detrimental to our self-esteem. Scrolling through the carefully curated Facebook feeds and filtered Instagram pictures of friends and strangers can warp our perceptions of reality, making our own achievements, routine, and appearance seem inadequate by comparison.
So, make an effort to ditch the tech whenever possible, perhaps making a rule for yourself that you can only check emails or social media at set times of the day or week. Instead, read a book, catch up with real life friends, or do a few of the tasks you’ve been putting off without worrying about whether it’ll make for an interesting post.
Tackle your physical insecurities
Unless you were blessed with incredible genes, you likely have a few physical insecurities niggling away at the back of your mind. Most of us can make peace with these over time, but for some, they create such a huge hole in their confidence that it stops them from living life to the fullest.
If deep wrinkles, sagging skin, receding hair, or anything else is preventing you from loving yourself, don’t be afraid to do something about it. A non-invasive aesthetic procedure like Botox or laser treatment can make you feel like yourself again and help you on the path to self-love.