Self-Love
~ Your Valentine’s Gift to Yourself~
Dance with yourself, cheek to cheek
My Funny Valentine:
How-to:
1. When you wake up, set an intention for your day.
2. Turn down free-time activities that don’t light you up
inside.
3. Write down something you’re grateful for each day in a
journal.
4. Do something kind for someone else.
5. Forgive someone.
6. Forgive yourself.
7. Believe that everyone is doing the best they can with
what they know with where they are right now (this will be life-changing, I
promise).
8. Meditate.
9. Really breathe:
inhale for 5 full seconds. Hold your breath for 5-full seconds. Exhale for
5-full seconds. Repeat 3-5 times.
10. Read a chapter in a good juicy book.
11. Listen to an inspiring TED talk.
12. Smile – the action alone makes you feel happier.
13. Schedule a massage.
19. Give someone a compliment.
20. Have a good solid cathartic cry – holding it in isn’t
doing you any good.
24. Take a nap and be OK with it.
25. Schedule a day where you do whatever you want. Stop
waiting. Because it’ll never be the “right time.” You need to make time.
26. Call a friend you haven’t talked to in a long time.
27. Focus on what you love about your body – not what you
wish you could change. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
28. Get real. Share how you truly feel, kindly,
compassionately, open-heartedly, and lovingly.
29. Don’t take anything personally. People do and say things
for so many reasons … that have nothing to do with you. Don’t let their “stuff”
weigh you down.
30. Start a journal with your favorite quotes and read a few
every day.
31. Finally, let go of the person you used to be. It’s OK
(and a good thing) to grow and change.
32. Be kind when someone is being mean.
33. Try a new workout that you’ve been wanting to, but
haven’t because you think you can’t.
34. Take a bath.
35. Clean and organize your desk.
36. Donate clothes and shoes that you haven’t worn in over a
year.
37. Give away household items and clutter you haven’t used
in forever – you’ll feel so much lighter.
38. Make yourself dinner. And sit in silence or with some beautiful groovy tunes, truly savoring
each and every bit of your dinner and sip of your wine – allow yourself to
unwind and appreciate your meal.
39. Go for a hike.
40. Sit in nature – even better if in the sun.
41. Allow yourself to sit in your body and to really listen
to your body and what it needs.
42. Quit the things that you don’t want to be doing anymore.
43. Drop your phone and truly engage socially.
44. Plan a game night with friends.
45. Take a day trip.
46. Let go of whatever happened yesterday.
47. Let go of what could happen tomorrow. And focus on your
now.
48. Use others as your mirror – when you point a finger you
have 3 pointing back – how can YOU grow from someone else’s action?
49. Say, “NO,” without the urgent need to explain why. The
people who are meant to be in your life will understand.
50. Write a letter to someone you love and send it.
51. Write a letter to your future self about your goals and
dreams and all the good that’s going on for you right now and what you want
your future self to remember.
52. Forgive your parents.
53. Forgive (and let go of) all the people who have said
not-so-nice things about your physical body. That’s just your body – your being
– not your soul – or who you really truly are. And if they’re saying mean
things, trust me, that has to do with where they are, not with where YOU are.
54. Listen to the words you say to yourself. Choose to bring
yourself back to reality by asking if you’d ever talk to another woman (your
sister, daughter, mother, aunt, or bff) like the way you talk to yourself.
55. Then … talk to yourself like you’d talk to another woman
you love in your life.
56. Realize we all mess up. That’s a part of life and if you
don’t, you’re not doing life right.
57. Embrace failure. Use it to grow, not sink.
58. Stop judging yourself and start observing. That
judgement just keeps you in fear and when you’re in fear you can’t see clearly
enough to make the best decisions for what you need and where you want to go.
62. Realize that happiness is an inside job. Thin people can
be unhappy, wealthy people can be unhappy, beautiful people can be unhappy.
Feeling healthy, happy, and grounded comes from inside work – not outside
things.
63. Speak your truth. If you need some inspiration, read
this post.
64. If you have problems communicating your truth or what
you need, check out this post to give you a “recipe” on how to do this with
grace.
65. Let go (and relax!) about your cellulite, muffin top,
and too-small pants. Instead, get yourself some body love by trying any number
of these 25 things I do to love my body. I promise, you’ll be better off with
these than with just bashing yourself. Last time I checked that did no one any
good.
66. As cliche as it sounds, buy yourself your favorite
flowers. There’s a reason it’s so cliche…
67. Got out with a girlfriend and don’t talk calories, body
image, too big or too small – connect on a soul level and most importantly,
have fun.
68. Begin to remove “downers” in your life by simply seeing
them less and less. Overtime, they’ll fade.
69. Binge watch your favorite TV series. Sometimes that
brainless pleasure is exactly what you need.
70. Try something totally new – a puzzle, a workout class, a
cooking class, a recipe, a painting, etc. Break out of your comfort zone and
mix it up. You’ll feel stronger and heck, even more brave.
71. Buy a new outfit you adore. On that note, don’t buy
anything to just have it. You want to love and feel good in how you dress your
body.
72. Have more soul conversations that give you that warm
ooey-gooey connected feeling inside.
73. Allow yourself to feel your emotions – and not stuff
them away. Recognize that this may feel like it sucks, but not everything is
supposed to be rainbows and unicorns.
74. Also recognize that we all feel and process in different
ways. You may need to meditate or journal, while your bff or partner needs to
workout or talk it out to move through a difficult time, conversation, or
feeling.
76. Empathize. The most powerful thing you can do for
someone is say, “Me too.” NOT judge or lecture. Everyone just wants to be
heard, understood, and to feel important.
77. Realize you’re more beautiful than you think.
78. Let music move you to a beautiful new place of
self-acceptance.
79. Make a meditation space in your home. Journals. Pillows.
Candles. Inspirational notes. Whatever floats your boat. And the most important
part – use it.
81. Ask a key player in your life what they love about you.
82. Stop thinking in such black and white terms. Give
yourself a break – and play in the grey.
83. Give the idea that “things don’t happen to you; they
happen for you” a chance.
84. Say, “YES,” to something you normally would say “NO” to.
Break your mold and keep an open mind – because you never know until you try.
85. Write the article. Try for the job. Ask for the date.
Speak your truth. Sign up for the race. And view it all as growth and bravery
because it is.
86. Sign up for a program, a course, or a class.
87. Plan (and take) a legit vacation – away from email,
social media, and any and all work.
88. If you’re on a budget, consider a staycation.
89. Before you go to sleep, let your worries, anxiety, and
stress (or to-do lists) melt away by bullet-pointing what’s on your mind in a
journal or on a notepad, letting your concerns out on paper, instead of on your
mind … so you can sleep.
90. Make your lunch and snacks for the next day.
91. Put an end to comparing yourself to others.
92. Let go of assuming what others are thinking or feeling.
If you have questions or concerns, ask and speak up. Be brave. Over 90% of the
time, you’ll find that you’re assuming and you’re wrong, or that it has nothing
to do with you.
93. Dance alone. Dance with others. It doesn’t matter. Just
dance around to any music you love. I bet you’ll find yourself smiling and
free. And that is some beautifully fun self-love right there.
94. Get to know your dreams. If a genie granted you 3 wishes
that would come true, what would they be? Think about it and get inspired here.
95. Know that not everyone is going to like you – no one
likes everyone – and that’s OK.
96. Honor the fact that you’re human. You’re going to have
good days, bad days, and in-between days, and it’s all groovy, normal, and a
fact of life.
97. Take to heart that you’re worth it. You have something
different and unique to offer to others, yourself, and to the world. It’s your
job to find what that is and to honor it. And yes, you do have something
different and unique. Let your creative mind run free.
98. Remember that relationships are meant for us to grow.
People come in and out of our lives to teach us what we need to learn. Not all
relationships – friendships, romantic relationships, and jobs – are meant to
last. Usually when the growth is over, so is the relationship. Feel your
feelings, but honor the lesson.
99. Envision – each and every day – where you want to go in
your life and most importantly, how you want to feel. And remember only YOU
know what’s best for you. Not your partner, your best friend, your boss, your
parents, or your bookclub members. And especially not people who don’t really
know you. YOU (and only you) are in charge of you.
100. Remember to live believing each and every one of us is
doing the best we can with what we have with where we are right now, including
yourself.
***Take yourself on a date at least once a week!
Make:
Look into a mirror and draw yourself blind (without looking at the paper)
On the other side
Write a Love letter to yourself.
Dear (your name),
Be kind…give yourself all the love you deserve.
Be gentle. Tender. Generous.
Yoga Nidra/Visualization:
Take yourself on Retreat. Go for a walk in the mountain.
See yourself in a clear mountain pond – gaze into your eyes, the eyes of
the beloved
Watch my valentine Alain de Botton’s fab vid on Self-love & everything else he's done:
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