Focus on self love with self care and appreciation this month
February is a time for focusing on love and appreciation. As Valentines Day approaches, many people may shift focus to others and may plan to do more for the ones you love, That is great to show appreciation for them, but don’t forget that self care is just as important. Show yourself some love and attention like you would a close friend or partner. So many people do so many things for others or may have a lot of responsibilities with work, family or running a household that they often neglect their own needs and health. If you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, stressed, irritable or emotionally drained, it may be your body’s way of telling you to slow down and spend some time doing the things you love. Also don’t ignore any health issues that come up; it is important to stay as healthy as you can be. If you expend so much energy on helping others without taking care of yourself, you may not be the best version of “you” that you can be.
When it comes to self care and appreciation, it doesn’t have to be big. Take small steps to make progress towards adding more time for yourself more consistently. Think about, what makes your heart happy? What brings joy to your life? What have you been putting off that you need to complete to feel more at peace? What do you enjoy doing that you haven’t made the time to do?
Here are some self care activities to help you feel more love for yourself. Think about the things that bring you joy in your life
- Journaling- take time to journal to help you process stresses, day to day events and gain inner clarity on your current path and where you desire to be.
- Take an Epsom salt bath- magnesium salts help to relax, destress and detox any negativity from the day.
- Get a massage or manicure or pedicure
- Add more fun in your life- plan a night out with friends or a date night with your partner or do an activity you enjoy doing more often than not. If you haven’t made the time to have fun, schedule it in 1-2 times per month. It’s good for the soul.
- Schedule that medical appointment you have been putting off.
- Appreciation exercise: Upon waking, place your hands on your heart and think about all of the things, people, experiences that you deeply appreciate for. You can start by listing all of the things you love and are grateful for and truly feel it. This can be done in as little as a few minutes. Setting intentions in the morning can also help set the stage for the day. At the end of the day, recall at least one thing that you appreciate about your day.
- Daily positive affirmations- make a list of affirmations that help you to maintain a healthy mindset. Repeating the affirmations daily for 21 days changes the neural pathways in your brain allowing you to create the life you desire.
- Take a walk or spend time in nature. Nature helps you to be more present and grounded in the moment and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us daily.
- Mirror exercise: look at yourself in the mirror. At first you may see all of your imperfections (looking tired, wrinkled, aging) but I challenge you to look deeper. What do you appreciate about yourself? What do you love about yourself? What experiences have brought you to this point in your life? The eyes are the windows to the soul so take time to really look at yourself.
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