Steps to Self-Love

If you missed my post on learning self-love, then you probably missed this little note that I wrote to myself:

I am a strong independent Latin woman, wife, mother, entrepreneur, who does not have to trade in one thing for another. The days are gone where I have to choose or I have to be forced into a box of what society chooses for me. I can embrace being a strong woman, while also being a loving, dedicated wife, and a committed mother as well as a passionate artist, and entrepreneur. I can have it all and inspire other women to do the same, in love, in kindness, empathy, and power.

It’s never too late to step out of the confines that you have agreed to due to what society has told you. I don’t have to just choose one thing to be and neither do you.

Learning self-love is hard, however. We can choose to try to focus on it and practice self-love daily, but when you are struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel, you might not know where to start when it comes to learning to love yourself. This is why I wanted to share a few simple steps that can help you on your journey of finding self-love.

Know Yourself

It’s impossible to love yourself if you do not even know who you are. Invest time into discovering what you believe, value, and like. This will not happen overnight, but if you really take the time to figure out what your interests are, what motivates you, what inspires you, and what you value most (or hate doing!), you will be on your way to really knowing who you are. Once you figure yourself out, stick to your guns and really zone in on the things that bring you joy.

Live Intentionally

Once you get to know yourself a bit better, start living intentionally. When you live intentionally, you will accept and love yourself more because you are living with purpose and design. Your purpose doesn’t have to be crystal clear to you, however. If your intention is to live a meaningful and healthy life, you will make decisions that support this intention, and feel good about yourself when you succeed in this purpose. You will love yourself more if you see yourself accomplishing what you set out to do. You need to establish your intentions and goals to do this, but keep in mind that you won’t be perfect, so give yourself grace.

Also, another thing to keep in mind is that when you start living intentionally and knowing what brings you joy and what does not, you will more than likely need to get comfortable with saying “no” more frequently. This can definitely be hard to do at first, but if you stop doing the things that you do not want to do, you will be so much happier.

Talk With Someone

If you are really struggling with how you view yourself or your world, maybe it is time to talk with someone. Talking with a counselor is a really easy way to get an outsider’s perspective on your current situation. A great counselor can bring a myriad of different ways to help you think clearly and really help you understand why you feel how you do about any situation. They can help you begin to learn to love yourself again by working through your problems with you so that you can gain clarity. There is a great therapist in Peachtree City (also with locations in Marietta, Kennesaw, Canton, Alpharetta, etc.) that can help you figure out how to start loving yourself again. Ray of Hope Counseling Services helps to heal and strengthen people, no matter if they are in need of individual, family, group, or family counseling. They take most forms of insurance, have a wide range of specialties, and even offer online therapy!

Practice Self-Care

Taking good care of yourself is very important when it comes to learning to love yourself. Research shows that physical, spiritual, and emotional health are all connected and that supporting one supports others. Taking care of all aspects of yourself will increase the likelihood that you stay well, and this includes practicing self-care. As a mom, this can be hard to do because we are all running low on time…and energy, but it’s a very important skill to practice.

Connect with your community (the people who bring you joy), find a way to relax and unwind at the end of your day, start each day on a good note, find ways to bring laughter into your daily life, workout, eat clean, and find time to meditate if that helps your stress levels.

Focus On Good Friends

Another thing that I have found to be very important when it comes to self-love is bringing the right people into your life. There isn’t enough time in your life to waste on people who want to take away the shine on your face that says, “I genuinely love myself and life.” You will love and respect yourself more if you only spend time with those who are interested in improving themselves by focusing on self-love and happiness. If you surround yourself with others who bring negativity, that is what you will be focused on, as well.