Imagine spending your life with somebody and not really knowing them at all. That’s what it is when you don’t take time for self-love. You spend your entire life having feelings of shame, unworthiness, paralyzed perfectionism, and just not feeling enough. 

What Exactly is Self-Love? 

Self-love is understanding your needs and wants. It is about being brave enough to take off the mask you wear with others and getting to know yourself underneath all the layers that you have taken on from past conditioning. 

When you start loving yourself, listening to your inner guidance, and recognizing your true self, you feel awakened and alive. The act of Self-love has been linked to better immunity levels, stronger cardiovascular health, and reduced inflammation in the body. Your own well-being and happiness become your focus and you gently learn how to live your authenticity. 

How to Love Yourself Fiercely?

Self-love is like building any other long-term relationship – it isn’t easy, and it takes work as well as commitment. Some days you may feel awesome and on other days, your inner critic may be very loud and overpowering. 

Here are 5 gentle ways to love yourself fiercely:

1. Take Time to Know Yourself

To begin a loving and healthy relationship with yourself, you must understand your own self-love language. If you like to spend quality time by yourself, then self-care activities such as – this could be gardening, enjoying a sunset, or painting. For a more social person, it could be the physical touch that translates to self-love. Perhaps a massage or working on a new skincare routine could be the answer. 

2. Practice Empowering Self-Love Affirmations

If you find that your inner beliefs and programming are limiting and self-defeating, you may want to invest time in Mind Science based healing solutions like Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), and Hypnotherapy. 

Also, empowering self-love affirmations like “I am enough”, “I am worthy of love”, “I release negative self-talk” as such can help change the neural pathways in your brain. Scientific studies have found that when you say affirmations, you teach your brain new ways to think and perceive. This changes the way your brain processes information and leads you to have new thoughts and see things differently. 

3. Set Personal Boundaries 

Saying no when you need to – at home, at work, with your friends and family to activities that drain you – is a step towards conserving your emotional energy. An inability to set healthy boundaries usually stems from fear of losing people or of being judged or of not getting their approval etc. Learn to prioritize your own needs and set high standards for people you surround yourself with. It’s a sign of emotional health, self-respect, and self-love. 

4. Forgive Yourself 

While it’s always good to take responsibility for your actions, remember not to be too hard on yourself. Learn to let go, forgive yourself, and move forward. Forgiveness has been positively linked to reduced anxiety and depression, as well as lower mortality rates as it allows you to ‘let go of the chronic interpersonal stressors that cause us undue burden’. So, if not for anything else, it is best to forgive and move on for your own health. 

5. Accept Your So-called Flaws 

The greatest act of self-love is accepting yourself just as you are. One of the most important realizations is to understand that you are not your thoughts, this can be empowering and give you instant self-esteem. So, when you hear a critical voice inside of you pointing out your imperfections, step back from the voice and ask yourself, “Does this thought serve me?”.

Remember, self-love is a journey. It’s about connecting with yourself and being mindful of who you really are. What is one thing you love about yourself? Let us know in the comments so it inspires others to do/feel the same.  #LiveLight