LIFESTYLE – The Dark Caramel

Currently listening to Adore You by Harry Styles

Hola Amigo! How’s your week going? I hope it’s going as planned. My week is going smoothly and also exhausting. I’m definitely looking for a way to feel more relaxed and happy time for this.

Well, it’s the spirit of Valentine, a season of LOVE. I decided to Treat myself this period, I’m not going to wait till I get gifted till I know I’m loved. Valentine’s Day often comes with a lot of pressure and expectation about what the day should look like, whether or not you are in a romantic relationship. I feel you don’t have to be in a relationship to experience love and that’s why I’ll be sharing tips on How To Love Yourself but let’s call it Self love.

We often forget that love starts from ourselves regardless of who we have in our life as partners, the most important thing is to love yourself. The first thing is to imagine how you’ll treat yourself on a daily basis as if you’re in a relationship with you.

Most people don’t know is that these things can cause havoc on our mental and physical health, our career and even our relationships. Based on belief, I feel one of the greatest life lessons is to love and accept ourselves.

when we are in line with our own beautiful and unique spirit, can we completely and authentically give and receive real love. This is because when we love ourselves we know that we can give without becoming resentful, exhausted and depleted, and we can receive because we know we deserve it.

Here are some tips on Self love;

1. Word of Affirmation – Self love

Form an habit on your affirmation. Our thoughts preceded our emotions and behaviors.
Recite that encourage self-compassion. Bring your attention to being good to yourself.
Be your own cheerleader. Keep your self-talk positive.
Write your strengths and everything about you for which you are grateful. Document everything you accomplish, feel good about, do right, like about yourself, etc.

2. Receiving Gifts

Gift yourself something you’ve always wanted and you can afford budget-wise. Wanted to go sky diving or kayaking? Do it.
Buy the things you love and not things that won’t bring positive vibes.
Treat yourself to the wisdom and perspective gained from travel. Limited funds? Consider volunteer or service work or pooling together resources with friends and traveling on the cheap. This one tip I’ve really learned.

3. Quality Time

Create time for leisure and hobbies. Creating time to have fun is the best way to celebrate the gift of life.
Do not over-schedule, over-book or over-commit. Your life is worth more than being a gerbil on a wheel trust me. Less commitment makes life easier and without the burden
Prioritize sleep and exercise. You must reboot and revitalize your physical being. I’ve actually been trying this out.
Set aside time for daily mindfulness practices such as meditation, deep breathing or muscle relaxation. These devotions will help you connect with your highest self.

4. Act of Service

Prep yourself with love and care. Put yourself together so that you can feel beautiful like the person that you are.
Plan a regular physical, dental and mental health check-ups. Handle any health concerns in a precise manner if they arise. Without your health, you have nothing.
Prepare a nice meal for yourself. Put thought and effort into grocery shopping and meal preparation, I actually find joy doing this.
Create an organized, clean and aesthetically pleasing home environment for yourself. Love where you live, even if on a budget. There’s nothing like your personal space.

5. Physical Knowledge

Give yourself a spa treatment: manicure, pedicure, facial, deep conditioning treatment, etc. Know you are worth extraordinary care.
Moisturize your skin with lotions or oils. Thank each body part for all it does for you.
Stretch your muscles and give yourself a massage with a foam roller. Relax into your body, release stress and anxiety by having a hot soak bath.

Self-love is quite a journey. It takes dedication, commitment, and practice. Resolve to love yourself each and every day and watch your best self efflorescence and your greatest life unfold! Self-love is an exponential force.

Did you enjoy reading this post? Are you going to put one of these tips into practice? Will you start caring for yourself? What do you do to practice self-love? I’d love to know!