10-self-love-practices

If I asked you to make a list all of the things you love, would you name yourself first?

Most of us wouldn’t. In fact I’m pretty sure I’d put reading at the top of my list (with Game of Thrones as a close second!).

But love for ourselves should always come first. It sounds a little cliche nowadays, but truly, all we need is love.

The Course in Miracles says anything that is not love is a call for love, and we answer this call by taking a few quiet moments in our day to listen, and be there for ourselves.

In my opinion, there’s no greater service to the world than loving yourself. It’s never been a selfish act to deeply value, respect, and love yourself, because not only does it improve your relationship with yourself, but it improves your relationships with other people, and important things like food and money as well.

So how do we go about it?

If I know anything about self-love, it’s that it’s a choice we make every single day. It’s a decision we make minute to minute to be helpful versus hateful, understanding versus judgemental, and accepting versus attacking.

But in order to get to that place where love becomes something we turn to automatically, we have to practice it. It doesn’t have to be as hard as our ego makes it out to be either. It can be as easy as setting aside 10 minutes or less to give yourself some well-deserved TLC that feels aligned with who you are and what feels good for you.

Below are 10 ways you can practice self-love every single day, even if you’ve only got a few minutes!

  1. Turn on a 10-minute Yoga with Adriene YouTube video. Adriene Mischler has helped me love parts of my body that I didn’t know I could love (like my toes!) and she has a playlist for shorter, 10-15 minute practices. Check them out here!
  1. If you want a truly powerful dose of self-love, read a lesson from the spiritual text A Course in Miracles. If you’re not familiar with the Course, it’s a spiritual psychology text that trains your mind to think with love over fear. There is a lesson for each day of the year, and you can read it through the free Course in Miracles app in the mobile app store. It’s a great way to get you thinking more lovingly towards yourself, as well as help you feel far less alone in your thinking, and in the world.
  1. Try a short tapping session from The Tapping Solution. Tapping energy centers in the body helps heal negative emotions by restoring balance to the body’s energy. I’ve resorted to it in times of high stress and anxiety, and it has truly helped me calm down. There’s a video on the tapping site that shows you exactly what to do and it only takes a few minutes. Try it out!
  1. Use a meditation app like Insight Timer or Calm to do a short 10 minute (or less) meditation. Calm is a great app to do a short meditation with because there are various calming sceneries to supplement your meditation. Insight Timer is also good because it has a variety of meditations by hundreds of people, versus just a couple.
  1. This one is for the morning: when you first wake up, breathe deeply using the 5-5-8 method. This is where you inhale for 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds, and exhale for 8. Do this three to five times in a row. When done, slowly get yourself out of bed and into child’s pose for a few minutes. (My favorite yoga pose, and go-to for when times get tough). It’s a great way to wake up feeling relaxed and at peace.
  1. Light a candle and journal it out for a few minutes. Write down whatever comes to mind, a letter to your inner critic, or maybe even all the things you love about yourself. Writing is extremely cathartic and therapeutic, and I’ll admit, it’s my favorite thing to do.
  1. Take a few minutes to jot down a nutritious meal plan for yourself. You don’t necessarily have to shop or cook within these 10 minutes, but taking the time to plan out nourishing meals for yourself can leave you feeling uplifted and inspired to treat your body with love and respect. Check out Emily Kyle’s recipes as well as Kris Carr’s. I also love the recipes in the Daniel Plan!
  1. Make a warm cup of tea or warm water with lemon, and take 15 minutes to read poetry by Rumi or Mary Oliver (or any of your favorite poets!). Or pick up a nonfiction (or fiction!) book that you’re obsessing with lately. Something to kickstart your brain or take you to a personal, imaginary space. This moment is all about you!
  1. Take a few minutes to read through some positive, loving affirmations. I love Louise Hay’s Power Thought cards, (I sift through a few every couple of hours in my day!) Alternatively you could go to her site at LouiseHay.com and read a few of the affirmations she has listed there, or any others that you enjoy.
  1. Cut up some delicious fruit, put your feet up, and listen to Hay House Radio online at hayhouseradio.com. It’s online radio for the soul with wonderful shows put on by hosts like Wayne Dyer (when he was still alive), Robert Holden, James Van Praagh, Doreen Virtue, and many more.

There you have it! There’s always time for a little self-love, no matter how busy you are. Don’t let the idea that a self-love practice has to be long stop you from committing to a few minutes each morning to love and adore yourself. It’s always worth it, and pays huge dividends in your life long term.

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monique-muroBio: Monique Muro blogs about how love can be a coping mechanism for anxiety and fear at returntolove.co. Sign up for her free video series on how to create a simple self-love practice to incorporate into your everyday life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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